Norfolk Auto Row Historic District , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
West Point Monument at Elmwood Cemetery
In the Memory of Our Heroes, 1861 - 1865
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 1993
1. "In Memory of Our Heroes."
Erected 1909 by Norfolk Memorial Association.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Heroes • War, US Civil.
Location. 36° 51.677′ N, 76° 17.096′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in the Norfolk Auto Row Historic District. Memorial can be reached from East Princess Anne Road. The memorial is within Elmwood Cemetery, east of the south entrance off Princess Anne, and about two blocks west of Church Street (US Rte. 466). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 238 East Princess Anne Road, Norfolk VA 23510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. West Point Monument (here, next to this marker); West Point Cemetery (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named West Point Cemetery (about 400 feet away); Elmwood Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Tar (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Elmwood Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); Cedar Grove Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); Ella J. Baker (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norfolk.
Also see . . .
this page online
Additional commentary.
1.
James E. Fuller (1846-1909) of Norfolk, a former slave and a former quartermaster in the First United States Colored Cavalry, was the motivating spirit behind the erection of Norfolk's African-American Civil War Memorial. An employee of the Norfolk Customs House, Fuller was largely responsible for the City Council's granting of a portion of [what was then known as] the West Point Cemetery in 1886 as a special burial place for Black Union veterans.
Depending on chicken pot pie suppers, raffles, and concerts to raise funds, the committee headed by Fuller finally had enough money to begin the monument in 1906. The cornerstone was laid on decoration Day the same year. Completed in 1920, the monument is topped by a brown metal statue of a Black Union private wearing a kepi, a tightly buttoned tunic, a sholder strap bearing the initials "U.S.A.," ribbed stockings, and heavy shoes.
Backed by a simulated wooden stump, the figure holds a regulation Civil War rifle and has a replica of a bayonet attached to his belt.
White marble plaques inserted in the monument's
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 1993
2. a.k.a. The "West Point" Monument at Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk.
[Extracted from "Norfolk's Two Civil War Memorial's" by George Holbert Tucker <http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/49.html>]
Note: The statue is often said to depict Norfolk native and Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. William Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This is also said to be the country's oldest memorial to Black veterans of the American Civil War."
— Submitted April 6, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Additional keywords. U.S. Colored Troops, USCT, James E. Fuller
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 1993
3. Union Soldier
Said to be modeled on Sgt. William Carney, 54th Mass. V.I.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,245 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on March 11, 2014, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 6, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
