Welcome! Here tells the story about the Fowler family's involvement with DeSoto Hill and Fort Attaway. It began when David Jr.'s Grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Marlin Fowler, first moved to DeSoto Hill in 1958. When their son, David Sr. got married he and his bride Miss Jane built a house on DeSoto Hill and there they had their son, Dave Jr. in 1963. Also born in 1963 were the necessary nicknames to help with the confusion of two David's: Big Dave and Little Dave.

          Little Dave spent his entire childhood roaming the woods and playing on DeSoto Hill. The springs that supply water for DeSoto Hill were a great part of his playground, and supplied Little Dave with a place to keep his never ending supply of goldfish that he kept bringing home from the Coosa Valley Fair. The several acres of undisturbed woods was a great place for Little Dave and the rest of the Dukeville (the community surrounding DeSoto Hill) children to roam and play freely unsupervised by the Dukeville adults.

          In 2002, Little Dave found out that a fort (Fort Attaway) was on DeSoto Hill. His childhood playground had once been an active Confederate fortification, not only that but this fortification was the battleground for the Battle of Rome, May 17th, 1864. This battle was the biggest battle for Rome and the only battle within its city limits. Not only was Fort Attaway used as Rome's first line of defense to the north and to the west, it is believed that it once stretched from the Oostanaula river west to Shorter Hill where cannon placements are still visible today. Fort Attaway was captured and then occupied by northern troops. The northern troops artillery was placed at Fort Attaway and was used to fire upon the remaining two southern occupied forts: Fort Norton (Civic Center hill) and Fort Stovall (Myrtle hill). When these two forts fell into northern hands the capture of Rome was completed. This also makes Fort Attaway one of only a handful of forts that became double occupied.
 

          The victorious northern general, oddly named Jefferson C. Davis, reported to General Sherman as he had come into possession of  "the strongest fortified place I have seen in Dixie"! Sherman himself would later use Rome because of its enormous amount of earthworks, location, variety of transportation available to supply, prepare and protect his army. On November 10th and 11th, 1864 Rome was the first to fall victim on to his "scorched earth policy"; it was the first of many southern towns to feel the wrath of Sherman's ruthless torch in his "March to the Sea" for which he is still remembered for today!  

Little Dave, now not so little, far from naive having 23 years of rodeoing underneath his hat, he had plenty of first hand experience dealing with a enormous variety of people on the road. (125 rodeos per yr. in 36 different states at the prime of his career)

         
    Gen. W.T. Sherman (seated, hat in hand) with staff
          at home of Maj. C.H. Smith on East Fourth Ave in Rome

From professionals to crooks, from Doctors and Lawyers to Indian Chiefs, from families and starry eyed  kids at the rodeo's, to the roughest, toughest, meanest cowboys you can imagine; he's dealt with them all.

So when the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) told the Fowlers of their intentions, Little Dave did what he has spent a lifetime learning to do! Look you straight in the eye and shake your hand when he meets you, listen to what you have to say when you're talking, shake your hand when you're leaving, and then check out first hand anything you said that  he's not sure of for himself! 

           What he has found out will amaze you. If you have any southern blood running through your veins this will chill you! Not only is this southern blood running through this ole cowboy, but it was spilled on Rome's behalf right here at Fort Attaway. Our forefathers died bravely defending our city from invaders, and their blood is in this ground. Estimates range from 150 to 450 Confederate Soldiers that gave their life for this city. Not to mention the Union Soldiers, that also died while capturing this city for its strategic location, river passages, foundries, mills, and hospitals.


         This website is totally devoted to sharing this information that has been found. This information has come from a variety of sources, the Official Records, old city records, local historians, books on Rome's history, the archeological reports on Rome's other two forts (paid for by the City of Rome), from the GDOT (only after much effort, many fees, and the open records act), the Dept of Natural Resources Historic Preservation Division (no charge), to finally getting a independent evaluation done at our own expense.  We also had to hire a historical lawyer to convey our concerns because the GDOT stopped talking us. A civil suit has been filed, and Fort Attaway will get its proper place in Rome's history, even if Rome's government chooses to abandon, deny and even remove historical markers, while outsiders pillage and belittle our Civil War history! Well not this ole Cowboy.....and not as long as "ONE REBEL REMAINS".   Thank you for your interest!!!