WIDE AWAKE! the Woke Young Men of the Republican Party "We ought to have some good rousing meetings in this county. We should be wide awake in every town, so that when the leaves fall in November, the worn out Democracy (Democratic Party) may fall to and “sleep, the sleep that knows no ending.” at Danbury & Litchford CT Aug. 30,1860 Night time march of national gathering of Wide Awakes in NYC   July 1860 depicted in Harper's Weekly         Wide Awake clubs formed spontaneously all over the North to support Lincoln. Composed mainly of young men, they marched at midnight carrying oil lamps to make sure people were "wide awake" about what was going on in the country and what was at stake in the coming 1860 election.  Wide Awakes wore oil skin cloaks  for safety since there was so much oil splashing about from their lamps as well as for the effect of so many lights reflecting off the slick capes.          Wide Awakes had many of the trappings of a military group--u