In this episode, we uncover the remarkable true story of Ward Hill Lamon, the rough-edged Virginia lawyer who became Abraham Lincoln’s closest friend and self-declared bodyguard. Lamon wasn’t just a loyal companion—he helped shape the very idea of presidential security in America long before it became an institution. From their unlikely bond as law partners traveling the Illinois circuit to the life-threatening Baltimore Plot of 1861, this episode traces Lamon’s obsessive commitment to protecting Lincoln at all costs—and how his absence on one critical night changed everything.We explore the conspiracy that nearly ended Lincoln’s life before his presidency even began and the behind-the-scenes power struggle between Lamon and detective Allan Pinkerton. We also dive into Lamon’s colorful exploits during the Civil War, including his oversized weapons stash, questionable military titles, and direct confrontations with Confederate forces.But Lamon’s legacy doesn’t end on the battlefield. His role in one of the strangest political controversies of the time—the so-called Antietam “banjo incident”—sparked national outrage and shaped public perception of Lincoln during the 1864 election. We also examine Lamon’s later attempts to defend Lincoln’s memory through a biography that was so explosive, Lincoln’s own son tried to erase it from history.Throughout the episode, we separate fact from folklore, analyzing famous dreams, ghostwritten confessions, and the myths that surround both Lamon and Lincoln to this day. And in the end, we return to that fateful night at Ford’s Theatre—the one time Lamon wasn’t at Lincoln’s side—and ask the haunting question: if he had been, would history have turned out differently? This is the story of a bodyguard who broke every rule, a friendship that defied convention, and a legacy still shaped by absence.
