The big news in town this week is that they took down the water tower. I don't know who they are. I just heard that they thought it was an eyesore and took it down. There has been general uproar over this, as it removed the sole identifying object from our town's skyline--it was the only object in our skyline.
Now for some history.
This is a statue of Emma Sansom pointing the way. She helped General Forrest (remember who Forrest Gump was named after?) get across Black Creek after General Streight burned the bridge, hoping to cut off the Confederate pursuit. General Forrest asked the Sansoms (widow and daughters) if there was a way to ford the creek. 15 year old Emma offered to show the way if the soldiers would saddle her horse. Forrest said there wasn't time, so he hoisted her up on his horse and she led the way. When they got to the water, the Union soldiers fired on them and a bullet went through Emma's skirt. She took off her bonnet and waved it at them. When they saw they were firing on a girl they stopped. The Confederates crossed and continued pursuing the Union army. Emma returned home.
General Streight was going to travel on to Rome, Georgia and cut the railroad there. John Wisdom heard of the plan and rode from 3:30 in the afternoon until almost midnight to beat the Union army to Rome. He warned the town Streight was coming and they set up barricades and were armed. Forrest came up right behind and Streight was hemmed in. Rome was saved, for a while. Sherman came back a year later on his way to Atlanta.
So there's the history lesson for today.
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