West Point Cemetery, located in the western part of Elmwood Cemetery, was established in 1874 as a cemetery for African-American citizens. In the 1880's Norfolk's first African-American City Councilman, James E. Fuller, arranged a portion of West Point to be reserved for the burial of Black Union soldiers. He played an integral part in raising funds to erect the monument and statue that pays tribute to the fallen soldiers. James Carney, another Norfolk native, sits atop the statue. He was one of the first 18 African-Americans to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his participation in the July 18, 1863 assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. In March, 2007 West Point Cemetery was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
