thomas hart benton, john tyler called him the most raving political maniac i ever knew. but benton was representing missouri in the senate for 30 years, and he was a powerful figure. he wrote a massive memoir after that, which historians have been using for a century and a half. and he was very powerful during that time. >> the story though about the duel, and andrew jackson, it never ceases to amaze me when i read it -- what was the story? >> benton had been his aide-de- camp in the war of 1812, they were very close. but jackson, there were a lot of duals in tennessee in those days, when jackson was relatively younger. and he consented to be the second at the duel of a friend of his who was dueling thomas hart benton's brother, jessie benton. jessie took a bullet to the buttocks, which proved somewhat embarrassing, and as a result of that the benton's were trashing jackson's name all over nashville. jackson doesn't -- didn't like that he took himself quite seriously. and so he went after the two of them with the riding whip. guns were drawn. bullets flew. benton was woun