Virginia author Robert B. Mitchell will talk about his book "The Partisans: James G. Blaine, Roscoe Conkling, and the Politics of Rivalry and Revenge in the Gilded Age" July 16 at Parentheses Books in Harrisonburg, Va.

Blaine and Conkling ranked as two of the most prominent Republican politicians of the Gilded Age. Their feud began in 1866 after Blaine mocked Conkling’s “super-eminent overpowering turkey-gobbler strut” on the House floor. Conkling never forgave the insult.

The two fought on Capitol Hill, at political conventions, and in the struggle for power in the administration of President James A. Garfield featured in the Netflix series “Death by Lightning.” Conkling’s refusal to endorse Blaine during the 1884 presidential campaign contributed to his rival’s defeat.

Mitchell is a Virginia resident and retired Washington Post news service editor. He is the author of books about the Credit Mobilier scandal and 19th-century populist James B. Weaver.