The Hernando de Soto expedition of 1539-43 was the first European excursion into the upper Tombigbee River Valley. It consisted of about 650 persons including some Black soldiers, three or four women, about 250 horses and a drift of over 300 hogs.
In the fall of 1540 this entrada entered what is now west central Alabama and by December had reached the Starkville, Columbus area.
The hogs were particularly important for some 483 years ago they provided the first pork barbecue held in Mississippi.
Two of the most important sites along de Soto’s trek across the South were the towns of Mabila and Chicasa. Mabila was a town ruled over by Tascaluza, and Chicasa was the principal town of the Chickasaw Nation.
Until recently the locations of these towns were unknown. Archaeologist working north of Starkville have found a site that appears to be related to Chicasa, and near Demopolis, Alabama, a site has been found that appears to be related to Mabila.
These two sites are of national historical importance and predate the English at Jamestown by 67 years.
Next Saturday, March 4, the archaeologists working on these two sites will present a free public program at the Columbus Arts Council auditorium, 501 Main St., at 1 p.m. It will include Brad Lieb, director of archaeology for the Chickasaw Nation; Charles Cobb, Florida Museum of Natural History/ University of Florida; Ashley Dumas, University of West Alabama; James Knight, University of Alabama; Edmond Boudreaux, Mississippi State University; and Jessica Crawford, southeast regional director for the Archaeological Conservancy.
The program will focus on the recent discoveries along de Soto’s route from the Demopolis area to the Starkville area. That route puts de Soto crossing the Tombigbee River at or near Columbus. Journals kept by members of the expedition provide a vivid view, though often colored by European prejudices, of the principal encounters and events along the way.
De Soto entered the realm of Tascaluza in early October 1540. Around Oct. 9, he met Tascaluza and demanded that women and slaves be furnished to him. Tascaluza told de de Soto they would be provided if de Soto would travel with him to the town of Mabila. A trap had been set there for the Spanish, and it was sprung around Oct. 18. In fighting, which lasted all day, about 22 Spaniards and around 3,000 Indians were killed, probably including Tascaluza. The Spanish remained at Mabila about a month recovering from the battle. When the expedition departed, they traveled northwest.
About Dec. 14, the expedition reached the River of the Chickasaw as the Tombigbee was called. Most likely this was near Columbus. The Tombigbee was found to be flooded and out of its banks. In the 1700s the Tombigbee high water crossing was just below Moore’s Creek, which is the location of the two bridges at the the foot of Main Street in Columbus. Another ancient trail crossed the river near Buzzard’s Island south of town. De Soto had a raft or flatboat built to cross the river. On Dec. 16 or 17, 1540, the expedition crossed the river after a brief show of force by Chickasaws on the other side.
De Soto with some of the Spanish cavalry advanced toward Chicasa, the Chickasaw’s principal town, arriving that night. The Spanish occupied the town as their winter camp. That Christmas was described as having a blizzard as bad and cold as any in northern Spain.
The Chickasaws tolerated the Spanish from January 1541 until March. De Soto was planning on resuming his expedition on March 4, and he demanded that the Chickasaw provide him with 200 “burden-bearers.” His relations with the Chickasaw Nation quickly deteriorated after the demand.
Before dawn on March 4, 1541, hundreds of Chickasaws attacked the Spanish camp. The Spanish huts were set on fire, and after inflicting heavy damage, the Chickasaws withdrew. It was a far different outcome than Mabila.
The Spanish lost 12 men, 59 horses and several hundred hogs while only one Chickasaw was killed. Also, the Spanish lost much of their clothing and equipment in the burning huts. De Soto moved his force to another town for wounded to recover and rearm by repairing weapons and making new lances and saddles.
As a result of the fighting at Chicasa, the Chickasaw Nation has the unique claim as probably the only Indian Nation to defeat a European Army and force it out of their homeland.
Join us at 1 p.m. on March 4 at the Columbus Arts Council auditorium for a fascinating account of discovering de Soto’s 483 year old footprints across Alabama and Mississippi.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
