Scotland in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lt. Peter Goodwin Benton

Co. C 8th Missouri Infantry

— Voices from the Pen —

Lt. Peter Goodwin Benton Marker image. Click for full size.

April 11, 2026

1. Lt. Peter Goodwin Benton Marker

Inscription.
Pt. Lookout P.O.W. Feb 13, 1864 - June 23, 1864 One of the randomly selected 600 Confederate officers to be used as a hitman shield for 45 days by Federal forces on Morris Island, S.C.

"Landed at Pt. Lookout Feb 13, 1864. Guarded by the colored gentlemen form the 1st of April… Three prisoners wounded very bad by the negroes. Chronic diarrhea spread among us like a contagion and seizing many a victim, dragged him to a premature grave; and many lingered long upon the verge of the grave and finally dropped in"

"A prisoner had to be nearly dead before he could have a place in a hospital and after his reception there, was scarcely cared for, but was misused and cruelly treated and insulted in a manner that made a man abhor the hospital more that the rough fare of the camp." Quote from Capt. John Dunkle

Lt. Benton survived Pt. Lookout, the Morris Island incident as well as imprisonment at Johnson's Island and Ft. Delaware. After the war, his contempt fo Yankees in their blue uniforms was such that in order to prevent being buried in a blue suit, Peter Benton carried his uniform with him whenever he traveled. When he died in 1922, he was buried in his Confederate uniform.

Lt. Benton's brother William Wallis Benton was also a POW at Pt. Lookout.

Erected by Confederate

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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Sons of Confederate Veterans/United Confederate Veterans, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is June 23, 1864.

Location. 38° 4.408′ N, 76° 20.454′ W. Marker is in Scotland, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It is on Point Lookout Road (Maryland Route 5) east of St. Michaels Manor Way, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11625 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland MD 20687, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

April 11, 2026

2. Lt. Peter Goodwin Benton Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pvt. Joseph P. Bashaw / Pvt. Enos Jennings / Pvt. John O. Douglas (here, next to this marker); Sgt. Peyton P. Maddox / Pvt. W. Robinson (here, next to this marker); Sgt. Elihu C. Beckham (here, next to this marker); Wilbur Wightman Gramling (here, next to this marker); "The Bean Pot" (a few steps from this marker); Memorial Bricks and Flagpoles (a few steps from this marker); Point Lookout Prison Camp (a few steps from this marker); Capt. Robert E. Park (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scotland.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2026. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2026.