Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-05-22
THE WIDE-AWAKEs.


suing campaign the Wide-Awakes will
become national constitution and do
good service in the Republican cause,
we reproduce from the New York 1Ti-
bune the following account of their ori-
gin and services in Connecticut:
One peculiar feature in the Connect
cut campaign was the formation of "Wide-
Awake" Clubs. These Clubs are COM
posed Of young men who, while holding
themselves ready for any duty during the
day, are organized more particularly for
escort and torch-light duty in the even
ing, at meetings and in professions. AS
such Clubs will be organized very extern
sively during the approaching Presiden-
tial campaign, and as all information
about the Connecticut companies. will be
valuable to those who propose to estab-
lish other companies, we propose to give
"a description of the dress and drill of
the Hartford Wide-Awakes.
The uniform of the Company consists
of a glaze cap and a large enameled cloth
cape, made very full, and reaching down
about the length of the arm, SO that when
the arm is hanging by the side the cape
entirely covers the sleeve of the coat
The capes are buttoned or tied in front,
so that when the arm is raised to- carry
the torch the coat sleeve is not exposed,
and the action of the arm is not impeded.
The officers have overcoats Of the enam-
eled cloth, made in the style known as
the Inverness mantle The object of
the cape, beside being very striking
uniform, is to protect the clothes from
oil which may drop from the torches
A coat would be expensive, and the cape
was adopted for the rank and file on ac-
count of it's cheapness. The torches are
made of tin and will hold about quart
each. They are hung in ring like a
ships compass, and will swing in every
direction, and by adapting themselves to
the motion of the carrier, are always up
right. The sticks are about five feet
long and an inch and halfin diameter.
The officers of the Company wear glazed
hats instead of caps, and instead of
torches they carry colored lanterns-the
captain red lantern and the ieutenants
green OF blue Whole cost of uniform
and torch 1925.
The men are regularly drilled in
marching, and are as strictly under
arms as any military company. In this
lies the great beauty and efficiency of
the organization. Theregularity oftheir
movements in torch-light procession
elicits the warmest admiration from all
who see them; and their obedience to the
word of command, and their strict disci-
pline render them of great service in es-
cort duty, and in their attendance upon
out-of-door meetings. The rules of
marching are so strictly enforced with
the Wide -Awakes as in the 7th Regi-
ment; and cigar smoking, talking, leaving
the ranks, and other Irregularities, are
no more allowed in the one than in the
other corps.
The organization is extremely popular
in Hartford The young men and older
ones are also enrolling themselves as
members, and at their last parade they
turned out over 400 strong. The Wat
erbury Company have improved upon
the Hartford Company in their uniform.
They have their capes trimmed with a
facing of white cloth Or leather. which
relieves the solid black Of the enameled
cloth, and gives the dress lighter and
more military appearance. Their
torches are also got up in little better
style: -
The origin of the Wide-Awakes, as
nearly as we can trace it, is this: In the
torchlight procession which escorted
Cassius NJ. Clay to his quarters after his
speech in Hartford, on the evening of
February 27, and which marched through
the streets after that duty, were two
young men named d. G. Francis and H.
P. Blair, who wore black cambria capes
to protect themselves from the oil which
experience had taught them would oc-
casionally drip from the torches. Mr..
G. 2. Bissell, the marshal Of the pro
cession, noticed the uniform, and com
plimented them upon it, and at the sug-
gestion of Mr.. III. c. Beckwith, he had
them put at the head Of the procession,
and gave one of them a fine swinging
torch which he (Mr. BisselD had made
for his own use. 1t was the subject OF
very general remark that the capes were
grand idea, and the next day it was
proposed among the young men to get
up company of fifty, and to adopt as
uniform glazed capes and caps, and to
carry torches like the one made for Mr.
Bissell. Mr.. s. B. Ives and Mr.. H. P
Hitchcock took active steps, and meet
ing was called. This meeting was held
in the room of Mr.. Allen Francis, over
the City Bank, company was organized
and j. S. Chalker, Esq, was chosen cap
tain. Six lieutenants we're also chosen