President Lincoln thanks Henry Sperry.
Many newspapers expect the Hartford Wide Awakes to lead Lincoln’s escort to the inauguration. Henry Sperry receives a letter from Abraham Lincoln acknowledging the services of the Wide Awakes during the campaign, but offering regrets. So as to not frighten the South who consider the Wide Awakes a political police force, Lincoln tells his most diehard and vital supporters to stand down. The stars of the Wide Awake movement go on to live lives that reflect the future of the Party which they helped power to victory. Most notably, the two boys who battled for control of the Wide Awakes; James Chalker, calling himself the “Captain” of the Wide Awakes asks President Lincoln for a “suitable appointment” considering his contributions. He is given a patronage job overseeing the importation of textiles. He is later fired for extortion and bribery. He dies bankrupt at 57 years-old during the height of the Gilded Age. Henry Sperry partners with a fellow Wide Awake to purchase the Hartford Daily Post fulfilling his dream of becoming a newspaperman like his heroes.