Wide Awakes

Last year myself and two chums put together a Wide Awake rally for the Kenosha Civil War Museum. I put together a pamphlet of basic Wide Awake information. The visitors seemed to like it and we had fun presenting the poems, history and results of the organization. I take little credit for the research, just for the summarizing. I gleaned a lot of the information for the packet from one source, “Young Men for War The Wide Awakes and Lincoln’s 1860 Presidential Campaign” by Jon Grinspan. (http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/lincoln/contents/grinspan.html)
And http://www.wlhn.org/topics/boothwar/waupun%20times.htm and Google searchs

Here are the highlights, or a teaser to learn more about a fascinating and influential organization. I highly suggest you read Mr. Grinspan's article.

“The ‘old men are for counsel,the ‘young men for war, and if you would like to see one hundred young ‘wide-awake’ soldiers, just call on us.”

“Wherever the fight is hottest, there is our post of duty, and there the Wide Awakes are found.”

- Wide Awake chants

ATTENTION, WIDE AWAKES!
THE Waupun Wide-Awakes are requested to meet on Wednesday as Thursday evenings next, at 7 o'clock, at the Wide-Awake Head quarters.
Hans C. Heg, Captain
Waupun, July 31st, 1860
AT A MEETING of the Republican Club, held at Dodge Hall last Wednesday evening a Wide-Awake Company was formed. Sixty-four names were enrolled, and considerable enthusiasm was manifested. The regulations of the Janesville Wide-Awakes were read, and, after being amended, were adopted.
6th--It is the object of this club--
1st. To act as a political police.
2d. To do escort duty to all prominent Republican speakers who visit our village to address our citizens.
3d. To attend all public meetings in a body and see that order is kept, and that the speaker and meeting is not disturbed.
4th. To attend the polls and see that justice is done every legal voter.
5th. To conduct ourselves in such a manner as to induce all Republicans to join us.
6th. To be a body joined together in large numbers to work for the good of the Republican ticket.

SOUTHERN REACTION
• Ausin Texas State Gazette warned, “The young and daring element of Abolitionism is for the first time enthused with something like a love for military prowess.”

• Virginians warned that the Wide Awakes “carry rails to break open our doors, torches to fire our dwellings and beneath their long, black capes, the knives to cut our throats.”

• In Congress Senator Louis Wigfall of Texas accused William Seward of ordering “his Wide Awake Praetorians” to “sweep the country I live in with fire and sword.”

• South Carolina fire-eaters began to organize “Minute Men” militias, not out of empty paranoia, but “as an offset to the Wide Awakes of the North.” The creation of the Minute Men is often mentioned as a major stepping-stone on the road to disunion

EVENTS

1. Stephan A. Douglas rides the rail in Wisconsin. Wide Awake band sees him off before he finishes his speech.

1. Under the supervision of Missouri Senator Francis Preston, armed Wide Awakes confronted the pro-secession state militia at Camp Jackson near St. Louis. After the killing and wounding 28 the secessionists were put down.

2. The honorable William Seward spoke in Detroit where 50 companies of Wide Awakes received him. That night Wide Awakes made up 10 percent of Detroit’s population. Mr. Seward declared, “The reason we didn’t get an honest President in 1856, was because the old men of the last generation were not Wide Awakes… .”

3. Oscar Lawrence Jackson, of Ohio, while offering an open air speech, drunken Democrats tried to shout down his speech. “It came near taking a serious turn, as the ‘Wide Awakes’ were prepared and would have shot and sliced them like dogs if any one of us had been struck.”

4. 10,ooo Wide Awakes marched three miles through the streets of Chicago.

5. Wide Awake marches during the Republican National Convention at the Wig Wam in Chicago ignited Wide Awake companies across the nation.

6. Rallies in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, and Boston in early October drew over 70,000 Wide Awakes and 150,000 spectators.

7. February 25th 1860-state election campaign in Hartford Connecticut, Hon. Cassious Clay was the guest speaker and after the meeting was escorted to Mayor Allyn’s House by a torch lit parade. Two of the torch carriers were dry goods clerks D.G Francis and D. P. Blair who, in order to protect their clothing from the dirt and oil lamp spillage, prepared cloaks of black cambric, which they wore in connection with the glazed caps commonly worn at the time. Standing out from the other torch bearers, they were put in front of the parade. Their unique, utilitarian, look prompted a call to form a 50 man torch bearing company sporting similar dress. On March 5th, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Hartford those capped man and others similarly dressed escorted Mr. Lincoln to his hotel. Upon reaching the residence Mr. Lincoln said humorously, “The boys are wide awake. Suppose we call them the Wide Awakes.” The Wide Awakes was born.