 One notable establishment destroyed by Union soldiers was the Potter ( or Ponder ) House , built in 1857 , and owned by Ephraim G. Ponder , a holder of 65 slaves before the war . In the battle , it was used by Confederate sharpshooters until Union artillery inflicted heavy damage . It was never rebuilt . One of Ponder 's slaves , Festus Flipper , was the father of Henry Ossian Flipper , who later became the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point . 
