A memorial to honor the Civil War Soldiers from Newport Township was dedicated on July 6, 1913. It was furnished by the members of the Ross Newport Post of the G. A. R. and J. G. Battelle of Columbus. Ohio.
The Dedication was a major event in Newport. The statue was presented by Colonel J. G. Battelle and the main address was given by Bishop John W. Hamilton of Massachusetts, a former pastor of the Newport Methodist Church.
The statue is of Chaplain (Reverend) Gordon Battelle, teacher, patriot, and leader in the formation of the state of West Virginia. He was born in Newport in 1814, a son of Ebenezer and Mary (Greene0 Battelle. He died in 1862 of typhoid fever while serving as a volunteer chaplain in the Union Army.
The statue faces West Virginia because Rev. Battelle was instrumental in the formation of the state. The base of the granite monument weighs twenty tons and costs $2,000.00. The statue was obtained from Vermont and the veterans names were engraved upon it.
Last four persons on right are Junius and Carrie (Greene) Greenwood and Dr. George T and Myra Katherine (Hays) Gale.
Mr & Mrs Eb Lang and granddaughter
Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Bowie
Sam Echols
Mr. & Mrs. Sam Hardin & Everett
Maggie Gale
Mr. Hadley (Maggie's father)
Mr. Cook
Benjamin Edgell
Kinsey Davis
