[4][5] Bennett enrolled in the Union Army in Oswego on August 25, 1861 and mustered in as First Lieutenant.
[6] He and other officers were subsequently promoted to command positions in the 21st United States Colored Infantry Regiment.
[9] He commanded the retaking of Fort Sumter and accepted the surrender of Charleston, South Carolina.
[10][11] Charleston mayor Charles Macbeth sent a delegation led by Aldermen W. H. Gilliland and George W. Williams to greet Bennett's 21st Regiment United States Colored Infantry and request their assistance after chaos and fires ensued in the wake of the Confederate Army's departure from Charleston.
Bennett served on the San Jose City Council and Board of Education.