Newport in Cocke County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Kiffin Yates Rockwell

Photographed By Tom Bosse, February 28, 2010

1. Kiffin Yates Rockwell Marker

Inscription. Born in a house 500 yards south, he attended W & L University and V.M.I. Enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, August, 1914: incapacitated for infantry service by wounds, May 1915. Transferring to the French Air Force, he helped found the Escadrille Lafayette. The first American aviator to down an enemy plane, May 18, 1916. Killed in aerial combat over Alsace, Sept. 23, 1916. He is buried in France.

Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1C20.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.

Location. 35° 58.017′ N, 83° 11.302′ W. Marker is in Newport, Tennessee, in Cocke County. Marker is at the intersection of E. Broadway Street and Woodlawn Ave., on the right when traveling east on E. Broadway Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newport TN 37821, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. City Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cocke County Veterans Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cocke County War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); The Warford (approx. 0.4 miles away);

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Swinging Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cross (approx. 0.4 miles away); Governor Ben Walter Hooper (approx. 1.7 miles away); Jefferson County / Cocke County (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport.

Photographed By Stanley and Terrie Howard, January 14, 2011

2. Kiffin Yates Rockwell Marker

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 12, 2012

3. Kiffin Yates Rockwell Marker

Kiffin Yates Rockwell Medals image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tom Bosse, July 29, 2023

4. Kiffin Yates Rockwell Medals

Medals located in the museum at Virginia Military Institute.

Kiffin Yates Rockwell news article on his death. image. Click for full size.

5. Kiffin Yates Rockwell news article on his death.

From the Greensboro (NC) Patriot, September 25, 1916. Click on photo to enlarge.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2010, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,498 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 6, 2010, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 2. submitted on March 6, 2011, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 3. submitted on August 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on August 20, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 5. submitted on March 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.