Illinois National Guard set to celebrate 300th anniversary

(KFVS) - This year marks 300 years for the Guard, which will be commemorating significant dates in its history with communities across the state.

It was in 1723, in the small village of Kaskaskia, the Inspector of Troops for the French Commandant, named Diron d’ Artaguiette, drilled the first militia in the Illinois Country.

“We are uniquely tied to the Land of Lincoln,” said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “Abraham Lincoln himself served in our ranks during the Black Hawk War years before he would serve as our Commander-in-Chief during the Civil War.”

In a statement from the Illinois National Guard says, “history of the Illinois National Guard is part of the histories of the cities, towns and villages of Illinois.”

Among the events commemorated in the statement are as follows:

A member of the St. Charles-based 8th Cavalry Regiment, Lt. Marcellus Jones, fired the first shot at Gettysburg in the Civil War
During World War II, the Kewannee-based 106th Cavalry rescued King Leopold of Belgium and his family
During the Great Flood of 1993, units from across Illinois responded to communities all along the Mississippi
During the Great Tri-State Tornado that ripped through Murphysboro in 1925, Illinois National Guard troops worked to save the live of other Illinoisians