American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Illustrated lettersheet, 4 1/2 x 7 1/4 in. featuring sheet music for the song While the Lads in the Village, with ornamental floral border. It is possible this song was used as a pro-Lincoln campaign song, especially given a portion of the lyrics promoting honesty and consistency of character: "that my words and my deeds are the same."

3pp., bifolium, signed ("Isabella Belty"), creased along old folds, some soiling.

Writing to her friend, Marion Henderson, the writer explains that for the past two days it has been "very nice" in Springfield, and adds that there were "several speaches [sic] delivered that was [sic] very interesting and there was [sic] fireworks last night. Splendid indeed I think." She goes on to describe a torch light parade, reporting: "the torch light company were there they marched round the square several times."

The Wide Awakes movement was a grassroots Republican campaign organization that would grow to become a major factor in the 1860 presidential election. It originated with a handful of young men in Connecticut during the hotly-contested gubernatorial election there in 1858; its members carried flaming torches as they escorted Republican speakers through the streets of Hartford. As the Republican candidate for President of the United States, Lincoln earned the support of the group, whose members responded to his opposition to slavery and support of workers' rights to strike. Soon, Wide Awake groups sprang up in other locations with uniformed adherents marching in cities from Bangor to Baltimore, and from Philadelphia to San Francisco, carrying their distinctive torches.