Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Resolution Honoring the 25th Army Corps;

Whereas the 25th Army Corps was the largest unit of African Americans in the Union Army during the Civil War, comprised of more than 1,000 soldiers;

Whereas the 25th Army Corps captured Galveston, Texas, on June 5, 1865, a week before General Gordon Granger’s arrival on June 19, 1865;

Whereas the 25th Army Corps chased the rebel government and soldiers of Texas into Mexico and spread the word about freedom, liberating thousands of enslaved people in Texas before the arrival of General Granger;

Whereas the 25th Army Corps were the first unit to occupy the former capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, on April 3, 1864;

Whereas the members of the 25th Army Corps, who were previously held in the bondage of slavery, not only emancipated enslaved persons in Galveston, they also released Union soldiers and enslaved persons taken captive by the Confederate Army;

Whereas the soldiers of the 25th Army Corps, through their actions and sacrifices, brought a crucial victory for the Union and played an indispensable role in the struggle for human rights, contributing to the abolition of slavery;

Whereas the 25th Army Corps not only waged war against the Confederacy but also waged a significant battle against racial prejudice and discrimination across the Nation; and

Whereas the legacy of the 25th Army Corps continues to inspire subsequent generations, instilling the values of courage, freedom, and justice and reminding us of our shared humanity: Now, therefore, be it