[You, ad hominem] Took you this long to resort to a Nazi analogy? ...sunk to that level ... and bla, bla, bla.
Buried in your ad hom and attempt to change the subject (you hope) is the fact that I stripped your attempt to steal a point.
The Wide Awakes were organized long before the other political groups like the Minute Men and Invincibles and they numbered, according to rustbucket's Austin, Texas, newspaper article, 300,000 men. They were a very considerable and threatening presence, and yes, they were sinister -- as witness their taking arms from the Illinois Militia.
And yes, arming up to impose by force a putsch government on Missouri, organized by the party that only 10% of Missourians voted for, is sinister.
[Me] ....Lincoln started planning before he armed the Wide-Awakes in January, to suppress the entire State of Missouri.
[You, substituting invective for argument] Which is bullshit but hey, without BS where would any of your posts be?
You didn't answer the point. Lincoln did arrange for Nathaniel Lyons to arm the Wide Awakes. Got a problem with that? Complain to the historians. Who are mostly on your side, btw.