Marshall County Civil War Soldiers Monument

In 1909, a number of Civil War veterans gathered together for a dinner at the small Marshall County village of Glen Easton. The dinner was hosted by Samuel R. Hanon, a veteran lieutenant of the old 6th West Virginia Cavalry and former state legislator. Hanon had led a detail of soldiers in 1865 that escorted the body of John Wilkes Booth from Virginia to Washington, D.C. Also present was Joseph T. McCombs, a veteran of Battery D, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery ("Carlin's Battery," which was raised in Marshall and Ohio Counties). McCombs was a prominent leader of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the largest Union veterans' organization in the country, and it's probable the dinner itself was a GAR event.

During the dinner, Samuel Hanon had the idea of establishing a monument to local Union veterans. When the idea was made public, it quickly gained momentum. Local press determined that "Mr. Hanen is therefore the father of the monument although he modestly refuses to accept the honor as his own."[1] Costing $5,000, the monument consists of a 20-foot granite pillar, topped by an 8-foot bronze Union soldier standing vigil. The monument was erected at the corner of the Marshall County Courthouse in Moundsville. Two Civil War artillery pieces were placed nearby courtesy of the Federal government.

The monument's dedication occurred on May 29, 1909. There were many festivities, and a brass band and Methodist choir provided music. People from all over the northern West Virginia attended the event. The keynote speaker was Congressman William P. Hubbard, a Republican and West Virginia Union veteran himself. Joseph McComb's daughter Mary McCombs unveiled the monument.

Between 1977 and 1984, Howard Blankenship worked to to restore the two artillery pieces located on the site. One cannon was cast in Massachusetts in 1844 and served in the Mexican and Civil Wars, while the other cannon was cast by the Confederacy in Nashville and was captured at the Battle of Droop Mountain in West Virginia in 1863. A stone marker was placed at the site acknowledging Blankenship's preservation efforts.

1. John Icard. "Dedication of the Soldiers Monument, May 29, 1909." WVGenWeb. Web. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.wvgenweb.org/marshall/military-monded.htm

2. Theodore F. Lang. Loyal West Virginia from 1861 to 1865. Baltimore, MD: Deutsch Publishing Co., 1895. Digitized. https://books.google.com/books/about/Loyal_West_Virginia_from_1861_to_1865.html?id=Cm4MAAAAIAAJ

3. C.B. Allman. "Thirteen Veterans of Civil War Survive in Marshall County." WVGenWeb. Web. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.wvgenweb.org/marshall/civil-13.htm

4. "Hubbard, William Pallister." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present. Web. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=H000891

5. "National GAR Records Program-Historical Summary of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Posts: West Virginia." July 9, 2018. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Web. Accessed July 30, 2020. http://www.suvcw.org/garrecords/garposts/wv.pdf