It's April 1866 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The House is locked in an intense debate over a bill to establish the post-Civil War

military.

After hours of jabs and spars, 136-year-old Republican congressman from Utica, New York,

works the floor.

Standing over six feet tall, Roscoe Concling rises to his feet, his booming voice filling

the chamber.

I move to strike out Section 20 of the bill.

Section 20 provides for the salary of the provost marshal, the head of recruitment for the

army.

The war is over.

Concling feels it's an unnecessary position.

It's also held by a man he despises, General James Fry.

This section creates an unnecessary office for an undeserving public servant.

It fastens an incubus upon the country.

General Fry presides over a Dan of thieves who victimize the public through blatant deception.

But many in the chamber disagree with Concling's assessment, including a young Republican

from Maine named James G. Blaine.

Blaine has no love for Concling.

The two have repeatedly sparred on the House floor over a myriad of issues.

At a recent dinner party, they even exchange some less than polite words.

General Fry is a man Blaine supports, one he considers honorable.

...