Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-04-04
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BEECH
Was President Lincoln an InfldeI i,

Was President Lincoln an Infidel I,
Correspondence between Ex-United
States Marshal Ward III. Lamon and
Henry Ward Beecher about Lincoln's
religious belief]
MARTINsBURG, WEST Va.
January 81, 1874.
Rev. Henry Yard Beec,ier::
MY DEAR SIR: At the time of
its publication my attention was
directed TO a "Review of the Life
of Lincoln, (which appeared in the
Christian Union, in July, 1872.
This paper was by many attributed
to your pen it certainly must have
received your editorial sanction.
l do not conceal the fact that
some of its criticisms touched me
sharply but / determined, after
NO little deliberation, that it was
better to submit in silence to what
ever might be said or written of
that biography. To this determi-
nation | have heretofore adhered
very strictly, and l may act very
unwisely in departing from it
now. 1t happens, however, that
certain lectures, delivered by Mr..
Herndon, of Illinois, have renewed
the discussion of Mr.. Lincoln's un-
belief; and incident to that discus
sion some of the bitterest enemies
of my own have taken occasion to
renew their assaults upon me for
what my honest duty as a biogra-
pher made it necessary for me to
record in regard to so important an
element in Mr.. Lincoln's character.
Many of these self-appointed crit
les | know, and have long known.
Their motives need no interpreta-
ton. They merit, personally, no
notice at my own or any honorable
hands. Their hostility to me is
very great, but it fails to equal the
trcachery with which they be-
trayed Mr.. Lincoln while living
or the hypocrisy with which they
chant his eulogies when dead
Their malignment of the la
mented President during the most
anxious and trying period of his
administration were SO outrageous
and vindietive, that they might
have been eagerly adopted by his
assassin as the only possible vindi-
cation of his stupendous crime
But | have nothing more to say
of these men. They could have
no connection with this letter were
it not that in this assault UPON
my character they have claimed
the authority of the Union to sus-
tain one of their most unjust
charges. / refer to that portion of
the review which touches upon
my own religious belief. You
will appreciate. | am sure. the rea-
sons why avoiding any reply to
the persons of whom | have spok-
en-, beg leave to say to you upon
that subject what l admit could,
with more propriety, have been
said in the summer of 1872, and i
trust you will pardon the earnest
ness with which | protest agains
your conclusions as to myself, both
because oftheir intrinsic injustice,
and the sanction they have since
given to the expression of others
who can know nothing of the Dig
nifty and impartiality which be-
long TO honest criticism.
When the life OF Lincoln was
written it was my honest purpose
to give to the world candid,
truthful statement of all facts and
incidents of his life of which / was
possessed or could by diligent in
vestigation procure, so as to give
true history of that wonderful
man. / was we'll aware from the
first that by pursuing such course
would give offence to some for
who that ever had courage enough
to write or utter great truths, since
the commencement of the Christ
ian era to the present time, has
not been held up to public scorn
and derision for his independence?
Knowing this, and yet believing
that / knew Mr.. Lincoln as we'll,
and knew as much about him as
any man living, / undertook to
furnish biography. facts, truths,
history-not eulogy-b Chewing
then, as / believe now, that the
whole truth might be told of him
and yet he would appear purer,
better and greater man than there
is left living. But he was human.
composed of flesh and blood, and
to him, as to others, belonged am
liable weaknesses and some of the
small sins incident to men. He
was not perfect as man, yet with
all his humanity he was better
than any other man / ever knew
or expect to know He was not
Christian in the orthodox sense OF
the term yet he was conscientious
ly religious as any man. / think