Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-05-21
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECtTALS OF CAMP AND CAT.
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Maey Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, ForaG-
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.

Il was one of the original thirty six
Wide Awakes. said y Il. Mead. AT
5he date of the spring election in Con
aeetient in 1850 | was living in Hart
ford was clerk in a store. aud
Mt my boarding house were also n
nun Der of other clerks. some of them
from large dry goods house Tho
/ political campaign was To he opened CA
the Republican side hy Il mass meet
ing addressed by CaSsius VI. Clay. who
was 10 he met ut the depot and escort
ell TO the place of meeting by torch
light procession, \ day or two before
IT the table one of the boys. named
FranriS, from the dry goods house.
said to me: Mead this is going 10 he
a red hot campaign. with u good many
torehight professions, and WHY
wouldn't it be a good plan for a lot
OF US to Set some good lamps ON poles
and always go together:
Il agreed with him. ami the night
Mr.. clay WAS to be there We went TO
the store and with perhaps half
dozen other clerks tore of pieces Of
black cambria ana put over our Shout
ders TO protect our clothing. and with
some swing lamps, borrowed from an
engine company. we joined the pro
cesson and escorted Mr. Clay to Che
hail aud to his hotel after the meet
ing. | was disappointed in Mr.. Clay
rs an orator, but remembered distinct
/ IN one sentence of his address, which
was, You men of the North. there Is
only one thing for YOU to do ana that
Is take possession of the government
at Washington Coming as it did from
/ Il Southern man. the advice was start
ling
our appearance in the procession
with our black capes attracted consid-
emble attention and during the follow
| ing week meeting was called at the
rooms of Allan Francis oae of the
/ most popular young men in the city.
| An organization was effected consist
ing Of thirty-SiX young men, and after
a good deal Of discussion the name
| Wide Awakes' was adopted and a
tailor named Challler was elected cap
| tain. Black oil cloth cupcs and glazed
caps made up the uniform with swing
torches, and our first appearance in
public was 20 escort Abraham Lincoln
/ from the mass meeting held the fol
| lowing week to Mayor Allyn's house.
and il has always been peculiar graf
/ ificatiOn TO me that | happened to be
/ next TO Lincoln in the march, and
/ stood beside him at the mayors gate
when he thanked us for the service
! rendered
The Wide Awakes' idea immediate
II became Immensely popular Clubs
were organized in every town In the
/ State Captain ChalkerS entire bust
ness was furnishing uniforms for new
/ clubs, and there is no question but
what the great Republican victory.
which elected Governor Buckingham.
was due largely 10 the enthusiastic
work Of the Wide Awakes. At the
/ close of the spring campaign there
/ was a grand rally Of the clubs in Hart
/ ford from all over the State. and we
of the original company with 'Orgi-
! nal 80 painted in large white letters
on our capes, We're given the place Of
honor beside the carriage Of the GOV
/ ernor
The campaign in Connecticut was
| hardly over before the Presidential
campaign begun The Wide AwaKcs
idea was adopted by the Republican
party and spread like widfre all over
the North, and the great Wide Awake
army was very important factor In
TIE success of the fall election which
made Abraham Lincoln President 1t
was In fact a cause Of alarm In the
South and II was freely reported that
the North was raising aud drilling an
army 10 fight the South, which. while
nothing could be further from the
thought Of the Wide Awakes the drill
ling they were obliged to practice was
without doubt a great help To those
who afterward did enlist, as IL gave
them the rudinents Of military tactics
so anxious. however. were the
authorities i'm the North to disabuSe
our Southern brethren of the idea that
we meant them harm and to avoid
even the appearance OF evil, that when
some OF us who enlisted brought our
capes to lie on ut night we were or
dered to leave them at home lest their
presence IN the army would give color
to the charge--an order which dis
regarded and smugglcd my cape along
with my other baggage and used IT
until some good friend sent mo a regu-
lation rubber blanket to take It's place.
In the early part Of the war one
Of the boys wrote home for pair Of
boots. There being no express com
pany TO the front whore his regiment
was stationed, my father wrote to the
member of Congress from his district
III western New York asking him to
introduce a bin in Congress authorlz-
ing the carrying Of packages by mail
to the soldiers. The suggestion was
promptly acted upon The bin passed
and not only that boy got his boots.
lint tbn iatv r,rnvoJ "a t,vaot IIae.t,,,