WHEREAS, Tuesday April 12, 2011, marks the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter, the battle that acted as the opening engagement of the American Civil War; and
     WHEREAS, The warfare between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America lasted four devastating years, resulting in over 600,000 American casualties; and
     WHEREAS, During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln reasserted our American creed with eloquence and persistence, reminded us of the values upon which this country was founded, and led us through that time of great crisis; and
     WHEREAS, Following the war, a great number of Civil War veterans settled in the state of Washington or used their authority in other regions of the country to assist in guiding the state of Washington to great success; and
     WHEREAS, Prior to the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was stationed at Fort Vancouver where he spent 15 months enjoying the splendor of Washington state and where the Grant House still stands today as a national historical site; and
     WHEREAS, Isaac Stevens functioned as a major general in the Union Army, a United States Congressman, and the first governor of the Washington Territory; and
     WHEREAS, George McClellan is responsible for conducting expeditions and scouting the Cascade mountain range, providing early Washingtonians with an understanding of the state's diverse geography; and
     WHEREAS, The individuals who were influential in the Civil War were also invaluable and instrumental in building the great state we reside in today;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate along with the people of Washington pause to acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the Civil War veterans who settled in the state of Washington; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable, the Washington Civil War Association, and Secretary of State Sam Reed.