So much for gallantry: the Vigilant Rifles were halfway drowned and quite upstaged before their day began. Leading up to December 19, the Mercury and Courier ran prominent notices, instructing members to form up at “Vigilant Hall” – formerly the Vigilant Fire Engine Company's hall – at three o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, in dress uniform with white gloves. Those ads aimed more to draw crowds than to guide principals. For weeks past, Charleston had called the Vigilants the cream of its Minute Men, a smart- stepping, sharp- dressing bunch. Their offer of service to Governor Gist in the wake of Lincoln's election had electrified young and old, spurring others to rally in emulation of their bold spirit. This would be their first parade, trooping through the main streets, guided by the radical Washington Light Infantry (WLI), to accept from the hands of Mayor Charles Macbeth a company flag sewn by their mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts. It was supposed to be a galvanizing piece of political melodrama, enacted in the city's commercial heart – the place most Vigilants knew best – heroic play, ritual, and theater all rolled into one.

But the wind blew wrong and proud plans went flying. Wednesday morning was cold and windy, and by midafternoon it was pouring down buckets. From offices, stores, and homes all over the middle wards, greyclad youths emerged, shielding themselves with umbrellas, greatcoats, and anything else that came to hand, sloshing through pools of water as they headed toward State Street. Once inside the Hall, recruits wiped off and formed up, damply spruce in their new uniforms. Made to order by Vigilant fireman Charles Jackson and topped off with French fatigue caps “with the initials ‘V. R.’ in gold embossed,” this outfit had already attracted the attention of the local papers: single- breasted “gray jackets, trimmed with scarlet, dark pants and blue cloth cap, black belt, &c.,” all done up with palmetto buttons. The handsome sight of these martial men should have been attraction enough for Charleston, even as familiar with serenades, flag- raisings, banners, and parades as the city had become. Other processions featured bands, fireworks, or similar gimmicks to draw a crowd.