the first thing that came to my mine was this speaking of "Bloody Kansas.
The Caning of Sumner:
The violence in Kansas provoked Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts to deliver a harsh speech on the Senate floor, “The Crime Against Kansas,” in which he assailed slavery and the South, singling out his Senate colleague, Andrew Butler of South Carolina, for criticism. Butler’s nephew, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina, retaliated by repeatedly hitting Sumner with a cane while the Massachusetts senator was seated at his desk on the floor of the Senate. Sumner became a martyr in the North, especially to abolitionists, and did not resume his senatorial duties for three years. Meanwhile, Butler began a hero in the South.
more stuff here
http://elections.harpweek.com/NewSite/1860/Events-1860.htm