The Decatur County Historical & Genealogical Society will hold their quarterly dinner meeting on Monday, November 13, at the Kirbo Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Speaker will be historian and author Dale Cox, who will unveil the first copies of his new book, Fowltown, on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Fowltown.

This month marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Fowltown, the Decatur County engagement that ignited the Seminole Wars. The new book explores this important engagement and reviews the entire history of the Native American village of Fowltown.

“Fowltown is something of an obscure name today,” Cox said in announcing the release of the book. “In 1817, however, it riveted the attention of the nation.” That’s because the town’s principal chief, Neamathla, stood up to the might of the United States Army in a desperate fight to preserve the land, culture and dignity of his people.

“The first shots of the Seminole Wars were fired within four miles of Bainbridge on November 21 and 23, 1817,” the author continued. “It is impossible to underestimate the significance of this event in the history of the United States as we know it today.”

Cox explained that the fighting at Fowltown led to four decades of war between the United States and the Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole people. Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives in the Seminole Wars and thousands of others were forced west to present-day Oklahoma on the Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole Trails of Tears. “Fowltown was the beginning,” he said.

Fowltown is Cox’s fifth book that deals extensively with the history of Decatur County, Southwest Georgia and the Lake Seminole area. Others include: Fort Scott, Fort Hughes & Camp Recovery; The Scott Massacre of 1817, All of his volumes are available on Amazon and retail outlets.