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In today's political climate, many public servants from the national level on down trade barbs on television, at press conferences and through social media platforms such as Twitter. Fighting your foe with your fists, though, has happened.

One man who behaved in such a way before the Civil War sparked the attention of Dr. Ben Wynne, professor of history at the University of North Georgia. And now, his book "The Man Who Punched Jefferson Davis: The Political Life of Henry S. Foote, Southern Unionist" has been released through Louisiana State University Press.

"He was one of the South's pre-eminent Unionists," Wynne said. "And he was vehement in his opposition to those who wanted the southern states to secede from the Union."

Wynne explained he came across Foote when he was writing his dissertation. Wynne described Foote as a feisty and combative historical figure, who got into many fights with his political rivals.

"Once I saw that he got into a fistfight with Jefferson Davis and pulled a gun on another senator, I thought that he would be an interesting person to look at and eventually write about," Wynne said.

The Foote biography is Wynne's fifth publication. To learn more about it and order a copy, visit .