On November 30, 1864, a Union force under General John P. Hatch was destroying the rail lines of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad when they encountered an entrenched Confederate force at Honey Hill, South Carolina. During the battle a section of the 3rd New York Battery was decimated by rebel artillery and sharpshooters.

The 102nd US Colored Infantry was ordered to bring the cannons left on the battlefield to safety. The first attempt failed and a second attempt was ordered by Lt. Col. W. T. Bennnett, older brother of Lt. Orson Bennett. In the second attempt, Lt. Bennett led 30 men forward into an area raked by artillery and sharpshooters. Three times the men dashed to the guns, each time retrieving one piece.

The Union forces withdrew with the cannons Lt. Bennett saved, leaving the Confederates in command of the field.

In his report of December 4, 1864, Col. H. L. Chapman wrote:

Too high praise cannot be awarded to Lieutenant Bennett for the gallant manner in which he led his men in that perilous enterprise, nor to his men who so faithfully followed their leader.