Senator Charles Sumner
Floor debates are unlimited in the Senate. A senator has the right to speak for as long as she or he sees fit. This is called a filibuster.
Preston Brooks was for slavery. He was a staunch defender of the institution and was known for his violent defense of the practice, including his brutal caning of Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist, on the Senate floor in 1856.
Senator Charles Sumner
On May 22, 1856, abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner, a Free Soil senator from Massachusetts, was beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by Senator Preston Brooks, a Democrat from South Carolina. He needed three months to recuperate. Brooks resigned in July, was re-elected in August and again in the November regular election, but died of croup in January 1857.
The Massachusetts senator who spoke out against pro-slavery forces in Kansas and was violently attacked by a fellow senator was Charles Sumner. In 1856, he delivered a speech titled "The Crime Against Kansas," condemning slavery and its supporters. His outspoken criticism led to a brutal assault by South Carolina Senator Preston Brooks, who beat Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor, highlighting the intense sectional tensions leading up to the Civil War.
Charles Sumner was a prominent American politician and abolitionist in the 19th century, known for his strong opposition to slavery. He served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and was a key figure in the Republican Party's early years. In 1856, he was famously attacked on the Senate floor by Congressman Preston Brooks, an incident that highlighted the intense sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War. Sumner continued to advocate for civil rights and Reconstruction policies until his death in 1874.
So he would have legal immunity that protected him from being sued for slender.
Republican U.S. Senator Charles Sumner (RMA) is beaten nearly to death on floor of Senate by U.S. Rep. Preston Brooks (D-SC),
The VP is not a Senator. His job is to chair meetings. He can not vote unless there is a tie vote.
On May 22, 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks brutally attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor as retaliation for Sumner's inflammatory speech, "The Crime Against Kansas," which criticized pro-slavery advocates and specifically targeted Brooks' cousin, Senator Andrew Butler. The assault highlighted the escalating tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the U.S., symbolizing the deep divisions that would eventually lead to the Civil War. Brooks' violent act was both a personal and political statement, further polarizing the nation's discourse on slavery. The incident shocked many in the North and galvanized anti-slavery sentiment, while some in the South celebrated Brooks as a hero.
When the Vice President is not in the Senate, which is most of the time, his place is taken by the President pro tempore of the Senate, who is usually the most senior Senator. But in actual practice, the floor of the Senate is normally presided over by junior senators to enable them to master the parliamentary procedures.
A "filibuster" is a procedure by which a senator can speak on a subject as long as he likes. As long as they do not break for water/bathroom/etc or in anyway yield control of the floor, a senator may speak as long as they like. Strom Thurmond famously filibustered the Civil Rights Act for over 24 hours. In modern times, the Senate doesn't actually require a senator to take the floor and speak to filibuster. All he must do is tell the party's floor leader, I believe.