This monument serves to honor those who have serve, died, or gone missing in action. The monument resides in front of the Putnam county courthouse. This began in 1971 by a MIA wife who pushed for further recognition of those taken POW and MIA during the Vietnam War. Agencies such as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) keep track and account for all men who have been captured or declared missing during times of war and provide statistics on them.
The town of Winfield incorporated on February 21, 1868 , and named after General Winfield Scott. One of the nation's longest-serving military officers, Scott served in the War of 1812 and was the leading U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and at the start of the Civil War. Scott was also the presiding officer at the signing of the peace treaty that ended the Black Hawk War.
This World War I memorial statue is located next to the Putnam County Courthouse and commemorates the men from Putnam County who served in World War I. West Virginia provided 58,000 troops to serve in WWI and the names of hundreds of Putnam County men are engraved on this monument.
On October 26, 1864, Thurmond’s Partisan Rangers and the 44th Virginia Cavalry attacked Union fortifications near the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield, West Virginia. Led by Captain Philip Thurmond and Lieutenant Colonel Vinson A. Witcher, approximately 400 Confederate soldiers and rangers made a nighttime attack on Company D of the West Virginia Cavalry, about 85 federal troops camping near the Kanawha River. The Confederate forces were repelled, and Thurmond was mortally wounded in the initial charge.
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Putnam County was created in 1848, and Winfield was selected as the county seat due to its proximity to the Kanawha River. The courthouse was designed in 1900 by architect Frank Piece Milburn in the Romanesque Revival style with design features such as towers and arches. New additions were added in 1953, 1963, and 1974.
