Zebulon B. Vance[3] and future state Supreme Court justices Joseph J. Davis, James E. Shepherd, and Walter Clark.

Battle was appointed to serve on the state Supreme Court by Governor William Alexander Graham in 1848 until the legislature could meet to select a replacement for Judge Joseph J. Daniel.

The legislators did not elect Battle to continue in office at this time, but they chose him to fill a seat on the court in 1852.

Battle later served as president of a bank and as dean of the University of North Carolina School of Law from 1877 until his death.

During this time, his son served as president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.