The De Soto Trail

The De Soto Trail. . , The Battle of Mabila , The encounter at Mabila between the army of Hernando de Soto and the warriors of Chief Tascalusa ranks as one of the bloodiest Native American battles ever fought in North America. Though the Spaniards emerged victorious, they were demoralized, having lost much of their equipment, many horses, and having suffered a number of casualties. The battle was a major turning point in De Soto's efforts to conquer the area that would become the southeastern United States. , The battle began as a carefully planned ambush. Chief Tascalusa used a promise of slaves and supplies to lure De Soto and his advance guard into the fortified town of Mabila. Once inside, hundreds of concealed warriors drove him and his entrapped men out the town gate with a fury of clubs and arrows. After the main body of Spanish troops arrived, De Soto laid siege to Mabila. The battle lasted the entire day of October 18, 1540. No one surrendered, and many Native Americans died within the burning town. The most reliable estimates of casualties range from 2,500 to 3,000. Only 20 to 30 of the armored Spaniards perished, but many more received serious arrow wounds. , In the aftermath, the Spaniards camped near the smoulding village, nursing their wounds and burying their dead. To avoid the disgrace of failure, De Soto marched his army away from supply ships waiting for them on the Gulf Coast and went north and west to the Mississippi river. , Some observers believe that Mabila was located in the vicinity of Old Cahawba, others believe that Mabila was in the forks of the Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers. While the Alabama De Soto Commission adopted the former view as being most consistent with the available evidence, only further archaeological exploration is likely to settle the question. , The Highway Route , The Highway Route of the De Soto Trail is intended to follow the actual trail as closely as major highways permit. These highways are U.S. 278 from the Georgia line to Piedmont, AL; AL 21 to Winterboro; AL 76 to Childersburg; U.S. 231 to Montgomery; U.S. 80 to Uniontown; AL 61 to Greensboro; AL 69 to Tuscaloosa; U.S. 82 to Mississippi. , The remains of a De Soto era Indian village are located at the Old Cahawba Archaeological Park. From Hwy 80, take Hwy 219 South to Hwy 22, turn left onto Hwy 22, then follow the signs to Old Cahawba, located at 9518 Cahaba Rd., Orrville, AL 36767., [Caption] "Hernando De Soto and his men burn Mabila" illustrated by Herb Roe © 2010 , After hundreds of years of searching, the exact route of the explorer Hernando de Soto through the southeastern United States remains the foremost historical mystery of the South. Despite the work of professional and amateur archaeologists, historians, and a national commission, there are still several alternate routes that have their defenders. The problem is that De Soto's army left very little physical evidence along the route and neglected to record accurate measurements. , The reconstructed route that now has the widest acceptance because it is based on the best available evidence is that of Dr. Charles Hudson of the University of Georgia and his associates. Most scholars in Alabama agree with the route from the point where it enters northeastern Alabama, near Piedmont, down the Coosa River Valley, and into the Montgomery- Selma area. There are those who believe from there DeSoto went south to the forks of the Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers. Hudson thinks he went northwest. The route has been marked as the Alabama Highway Route of the De Soto Trail. Only further archaeological exploration is likely to settle the question.