Port Hudson preservationist

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel Editor
• Published: Nov 23, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

A November sky casts a soft light across the Port Hudson landscape. Tucked amid the green of the pines, hardwood trees are turning burnished gold and rust. Time stands still on the Civil War battle ground.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 1862, was a quiet day at Port Hudson. Soldiers spent time writing in diaries and letters home. Pvt. Porter of the 14th Arkansas wrote that they went to hear the chaplain preach, then went to Bible class after dinner. Pvt. Daniel P. Smith of the 1st Alabama noted they were working on their winter quarters. The quiet was deceptive. Three men in Miles Legion died that day. They were in the middle of a grim conflict — the longest military siege in U.S. history.

At 3 p.m. today, Nov. 23, a simple ceremony at the Port Hudson State Historic Site will honor Fred Benton Jr. in recognition of his work in the state’s acquisition of the battlefield and its preservation for future generations.

Benton will be presented with a plaque that will be permanently installed at the site’s museum. Among those participating will be Benton’s wife, Courtney, along with Stuart Johnson, assistant secretary of Louisiana State Parks, and Benton’s sons, Dr. William Benton and Steve Benton. Herbert “Hots” Aull will sing “God Bless America” and a flag presentation is planned by the Port Hudson Staff Honor Guard.

“We also hope to have a living history firing of one of our cannons,” said Gregg Potts, site manager.

Potts reflected on Benton’s influence on his career choice. “When I was a schoolboy, he (Benton) was selling books, maps and Civil War prints,” said Potts. “They were sold to promote and raise money for the park. At Christmas my Mama would buy those things and give them as Christmas presents.

“I was directly influenced by his activities. I devoured the books and studied the maps. I was a Port Hudson nut.”

An attorney and civic leader, Benton has received numerous awards for his preservation contributions. During a recent conversation at home, he said his first Port Hudson involvement began in 1957. The acreage making up the battleground had long since become farms. In order to develop the historic site, the state of Louisiana had to buy property from the owners.

“We started talking to different land owners out there,” said Benton. “If people didn’t agree with you, then you’d try to persuade them. … People would call and tell me when land was for sale.”

Benton said he and others took photos of Port Hudson and flooded the legislature with the pictures in order to convince them of the importance of the site. Traveling with his wife, and often their children, he gave talks to historic and civic organizations about the Battle of Port Hudson and its historical significance. The Bentons helped establish the Committee for the Preservation of the Port Hudson Battlefield and developed Port Hudson Pottery, a complex on Highland Road, encouraging artists that work with clay from the bluffs of Port Hudson. They also created jewelry, metal work and more.

In December of 1966, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved a $37,994 grant to be matched by the state of Louisiana in order to get the project under way. The land, which became the major part of today’s historic site, was acquired from the heirs of the Mills family.

In 1983, Benton received the Golden Deeds Award sponsored annually by The Morning Advocate and State-Times for his extraordinary service to the community. The award read, “Some 25 years ago, when most Baton Rougeans knew little of Port Hudson and the historic battle that was fought there, Fred Benton was spending 20 hours each week physically mapping and studying the battlefield.”

Mike Fraering, curator at the historic site, explained that after the Battle of Baton Rouge in August of 1862, the Rebels moved into the Port Hudson area where the Mississippi River made a sharp curve. In March of 1862, the Confederates had one and a quarter miles along the Mississippi River line with 19 heavy guns. Adm. David Farragut couldn’t get past the batteries. His attack was considered a failure.