Preston Brooks

Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was a Congressman from South Carolina, notorious for brutally assaulting senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate. His first cousin, Matthew Butler, was a Confederate general. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 523 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (545 × 625 pixels, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Preston S. Brooks, Representative in Congress of the U.S. from South Carolina. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 523 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (545 × 625 pixels, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Preston S. Brooks, Representative in Congress of the U.S. from South Carolina. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... For other persons named Charles Sumner, see Charles Sumner (disambiguation). ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836 – April 14, 1909) was an American military commander and politician from the state of South Carolina. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4, 1861–May 1...

Early life

Born in Roseland,Edgefield County, South Carolina, to Whitfield Brooks, and Mary Caroll. Brooks attended South Carolina College (now known as the University of South Carolina), but was expelled just before graduation for threatening local police officers with firearms. Brooks served in the Mexican-American War with the Palmetto Regiment. Brooks once fought a duel with future Texas Senator Louis T. Wigfall and was shot in the hip, forcing him to use a walking cane for the rest of his life. Edgefield County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. ... The University of South Carolina, Columbia (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a public, co-educational, research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia José Mariá Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 25,000–40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 AWOL: 9,200+ 25,000... A duel is a formalized type of combat. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Louis T. (Trezevant) Wigfall (April 21, 1816 - February 18, 1874) was an American politician from Texas he served as a member of the Texas Legislature, U.S. and Confederate Senates. ...

Political career

Brooks was elected to the United States Congress in 1853. Although suspicious of political parties ^{[citation needed]}, Brooks was officially associated with the Democratic Party. Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... The History of the Democratic Party is an account of a continuously supported political party in the United States of America. ...

Sumner incident

On May 22, 1856, Brooks beat Senator Charles Sumner with his Gutta-percha wood walking cane in the Senate chamber because of a speech Sumner had made three days previous criticizing President Franklin Pierce and Southerners who sympathized with the pro-slavery violence in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas"). In particular, Sumner lambasted Brooks' kinsman, Senator Andrew Butler, who was not in attendance when the speech was read, describing slavery as a harlot, comparing Butler with Don Quixote for embracing it, and mocking Butler for a physical handicap. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, who was also a subject of abuse during the speech, suggested to a colleague while Sumner was orating that "this damn fool [Sumner] is going to get himself shot by some other damn fool." (Jordan et. al The Americans) is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... For other persons named Charles Sumner, see Charles Sumner (disambiguation). ... Species About 100-120 species, including: Palaquium amboinense Palaquium barnesii Palaquium bataanense Palaquium beccarianum Palaquium borneense Palaquium burckii Palaquium clarkeanum Palaquium cochleariifolium Palaquium dasyphyllum Palaquium ellipticum Palaquium formosanum Palaquium galactoxylum Palaquium gutta Palaquium herveyi Palaquium hexandrum Palaquium hispidum Palaquium hornei Palaquium impressinervium Palaquium kinabaluense Palaquium lanceolatum Palaquium leiocarpum Palaquium lobbianum... Look up cane in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... Orator is a Latin word for speaker (from the Latin verb oro, meaning I speak or I pray). In ancient Rome, the art of speaking in public (Ars Oratoria) was a professional competence especially cultivated by politicians and lawyers. ... Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. ... Slave redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Division of the states during the Civil War:  Union states  Union territories  Border states  Bleeding Kansas  The Confederacy  Confederate territories (not always held) Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in history as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a sequence of violent events involving Free-Staters (anti-slavery) and pro... Andrew Pickens Butler (November 18, 1796-May 25, 1857, was an American statesman and one of the authors of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. ... This article is about the fictional character and novel. ... Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 - June 3, 1861), American politician from Illinois, was one of the Democratic Party nominees for President in 1860 (the other being John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky). ...

J.L. Magee's famous political cartoon of the attack on Charles Sumner

At first intending to challenge Sumner to a duel, Brooks consulted with fellow South Carolina Rep. Laurence M. Keitt on dueling etiquette. Keitt instructed him that dueling was for gentlemen of equal social standing, and suggested that Sumner occupied a lower social status comparable to a drunkard due to the supposedly coarse language he had used during his speech. Brooks thus decided to attack Sumner with a cane. Image File history File links Southern_Chivalry. ... Image File history File links Southern_Chivalry. ... For other persons named Charles Sumner, see Charles Sumner (disambiguation). ... Laurence Massillon Keitt (1824-1864) is included in several lists of Fire-Eaters — men who adamantly urged the secession of southern states from the United States, and who resisted measures of compromise and reconciliation, leading to the American Civil War. ... This article or section should be merged with intoxication Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated with alcohol (i. ...

Two days after the speech, on the afternoon of May 22, Brooks confronted Sumner as he sat writing at his desk in the almost empty Senate chamber. Brooks was accompanied by Laurence M. Keitt, also of South Carolina, and Henry A. Edmundson of Virginia. Brooks said, "Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine." As Sumner began to stand up, Brooks began beating Sumner on the head with his thick gutta-percha cane with a gold head. Sumner was trapped under the heavy desk (which was bolted to the floor), but Brooks continued to bash Sumner until he ripped the desk from the floor. By this time, Sumner was blinded by his own blood, and he staggered up the aisle and collapsed, lapsing into unconsciousness. Brooks continued to beat Sumner until he broke his cane, then quietly left the chamber. Several other senators attempted to help Sumner, but were blocked by Keitt who was holding a pistol and shouting "Let them be!" Laurence Massillon Keitt (1824-1864) is included in several lists of Fire-Eaters — men who adamantly urged the secession of southern states from the United States, and who resisted measures of compromise and reconciliation, leading to the American Civil War. ... Henry Alonzo Edmundson (June 14, 1814 – December 16, 1890) was a nineteenth century congressman and lawyer from Virginia. ...

Sumner was unable to return to duty for more than three years while he recovered. He later became one of the most influential Radical Republicans throughout the conduct of the American Civil War, and on through the early years of Reconstruction. The Radical Republicans were an influential faction of American politicians in the Republican party during the American Civil War and Reconstruction eras, 1860-1876. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... For other uses, see Reconstruction (disambiguation). ...

After the attack

South Carolinians sent Brooks dozens of brand new canes to replace the one he had broken. The Richmond Enquirer crowed: "We consider the act good in conception, better in execution, and best of all in consequences. These vulgar abolitionists in the Senate must be lashed into submission."

Brooks survived an expulsion vote in the House but resigned his seat, claiming both that he "meant no disrespect to the Senate of the United States" by attacking Sumner and that he did not intend to kill him, for he would have used a different weapon if he had. His constituents thought of him as a hero and returned him to Congress. However, Brooks attack on Sumner was regarded in the north as the act of a cowardly barbarian. One of the bitterest critics of the attack was Sumner's fellow New Englander, Congressman Anson Burlingame. When Burlingame denounced Brooks as a coward on the floor of the House, Brooks challenged him to a duel, and Burlingame accepted the challenge. Burlingame, as the challenged party, specified rifles as the weapons, and to get around American anti-dueling laws he named the Navy Yard on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls as the site. Brooks backed out of the challenge, claiming that he would be murdered on his way north. There was probably some justification to that claim, but Burlingame's reputation as a deer hunter and a deadly shot with a rifle could also have been a factor. Brooks remained in office until his death from the croup in 1857 and is buried in Edgefield, South Carolina. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Anson Burlingame (November 14, 1820 - February 23, 1870) was an American lawyer, legislator, and diplomat, born in New Berlin, Chenango County, New York. ... This term also refers to the rump of a quadruped; see croup (Wiktionary). ... Edgefield is a town located in Edgefield County, South Carolina. ...

Family

Marriage 1: Caroline Harper Means (1820-1843) Brooks was widowed upon her death. Children: Whitfield D. Brooks (1843-1843)

Marriage 2: Martha Caroline Means Children: Mary Caroll Brooks (1846-1924), Rosa Brooks(1850-?), Preston Smith Brooks (1854-?)

Nonmarried affair: Elizabeth Hitt (1797-1850) (Elizabeth Hitt Peter Hitt's Granddaughter) Children: Elizabeth Brooks (1830-1914)

Preston's Paternal Grandfather

Preston's paternal grandfather, Zachariah Smith Brooks, moved to Egefield, South Carolina from Loudoun, Virginia before the Revolutionary War. Zachariah was the lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. Zachariah owned a Plantation was on Big Creek a branch of the Saluda River. In 1850 he was recorded on The Slave Schedules Records. Loudoun County, Virginia is part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area. ...

References

• Hollis, Daniel Walker (1951) University of South Carolina, volume I: South Carolina College, p.139, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. recounts the details of his expulsion from South Carolina College,

External links

• Preston Brooks at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Full text of Sumner's speech
• Brooks' response, after the beating
• An account of the incident, the participants and the aftermath
• Preston Smith Brooks at Find A Grave

• Preston Brooks at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress