The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

by Erik Larson

By this point quite a few unhappy people had managed to get inside the Capitol despite the Army’s vigilance. The galleries were packed, according to diarist Adams; members of the Peace Convention had flooded the House floor. Upon Breckinridge’s announcement, a burst of anger rose from within the chamber, with salvos of profanity launched at Winfield Scott, including such pearls as “Old dotard!” and “Free-state pimp!”