"A Weak and Imbecile Man"

According to the Senate's website, on this day in 1863, during a contentious Senate debate, Senator Willard Saulsbury (DE) referred to President Abraham Lincoln as a "weak and imbecile man." In the furor that followed these remarks, Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, as presiding officer, ordered Saulsbury to take his seat. After further discussion and resistance by the Delaware senator, Hamlin instructed the Sergeant at Arms to arrest him. Saulsbury responded, "Let him do it at his expense," as he drew a pistol and threatened to shoot the surprised officer. Tempers quickly cooled, however, and Saulsbury subsequently apologized, prompting the Senate set aside a pending resolution of expulsion.