by Donald E. SheppardBiedma says Chief Tuscaloosa "...was an Indian so large that, to the opinion of all, he was a giant. He awaited us in peace in his town..." Inca says "...on a high small hill, an eminence from which much of the country could be seen in every direction..." Rangel and Elvas say, "the chief was on a balcony that was made on a mound to one side of the plaza..." "...on an elevated place..." Today's Potato Hill still stands over the west end of that valley; a location selected by Tuscaloosa to dramatize his nobility to the Spaniards. Trees cover the wetlands behind the mound today.
"We made much festivity for him when we arrived and jousted and had many horse races, although he appeared to think little of this. Afterward we asked him to give us Indians to carry the burdens, and he responded that he was not accustomed to serving anyone, rather that all served him before... he said that he could not give us anything there, that we should go to another town of his, which was called Mauvilla, and that there he would give us what we wanted from him."
"Finally, Tuesday, the twelfth of October, they left that town of Atahachi, taking the chief... and spent the night in the open (at Durant Bend). Wednesday, they arrived at Piachi (Province), which is a high town, upon the bluff of a river (Selma, the first village of Piachi, over the Alabama River). DeSoto timed his arrived there on Harvest Moon for the protection it afforded.
DeSoto's people describe three different places in Piachi: their arrival point (Selma), their Cahaba River crossing place, and their departure point (Chief Tuscalusa's home village), all within eight miles of the "River of Piachi."
Elvas says of their arrival, "Near it flowed a large river (the Cahaba River). The Governor asked the Indians for canoes. They said that they did not have any (women and children had probably fled in them), but they would make rafts... Diligently and quickly they made them and steered them; and since the water was quiet, the governor and his men crossed in great safety." Inca says they camped "on a peninsula the river formed... half a league from the river [crossing] in a beautiful valley..." near today's Highway 22 Bridge. Three miles from where the Cahaba River joins the Alabama River where both flow south as far as you can see. The King's Agent says it was "a large river, which we believe is the river that flows into the bay of Chuse..." Mobile Bay.
Piachi's last village was located at today's Orrville, on very rich Alabama soil, just west of the crossing. "In that town of Piachi it was found out that they had killed Don Teodoro, and a black man, who came forth from the boats of Panfilo de Narvaez" an earlier Spanish coastal explorer who had been in Mobile Bay twelve years before DeSoto's army arrived. The two deserters had fled from that expedition west of Mobile Bay. They made it up the north bank of the Alabama River until encountering you-know-who. "Chief Tuscaloosa sent an Indian from that place to Mauvilla..." [ostensibly] to advise them to have provisions prepared and Indians for carrying..."
"From the port (Charlotte Harbor, Florida) to Apalache (Marianna, North Florida)... the governor had marched east to west; from Apalache to Cofitachequi (Columbia, S.C.)... from southwest to northeast; from Cofitachequi to Xualla (Tryon, N.C.) from south to north; and from Xualla to Tuscaloosa (Autaugaville, AL)... he marched... from east to west to the province of Coosa (Summerville, GA) and... to Tuscaloosa from north to south."
"On Saturday, the sixteenth of October (1540), they departed from Piachi and went to a forest (Alberta's hills), where one of the two Christians that the Governor had sent to Mabila came; and he said that there was a great gathering of armed people in Mabila. The next day they went to a palisaded town (southwest of Catherine), and messengers from Mabila came who brought... much chestnut bread, for there are many and good chestnuts in his land."
Rangel says, "On Monday, the 18th of October (1540), the day of St. Luke (under a Full Moon), the Governor arrived at Mabila ["a league and half from camp"], having passed that day through some towns... But these towns (near Catherine's pecan grove) detained the soldiers, pillaging and scattering themselves, for the land seemed populous; thus only 40 on horseback [Elvas says "15 horse and 30 foot"] arrived in advance with the Governor, and since they were a little detained, in order for the Governor not to show weakness, he entered in the town with Chief Tuscalusa."
The King's Agent says, "We arrived at Mavila at nine o'clock in the morning (Inca says eight o'clock). It was a small and very palisaded town and was situated on a plain... Some important Indians came forth to us upon seeing us and asked the Governor, through the interpreter, if he wished to spend the night there or to enter the town... It seemed better to the governor to enter the town, and we [the few with DeSoto] were commanded to enter..."
Natives had chosen that location well in advance of DeSoto's arrival. Captives taken from Mobile Bay had guided DeSoto toward his waiting ships there. He planned to settle that port with his men and their new native wives. The captives, who had been with DeSoto for nearly a year, had managed to communicate his intent to others. They led DeSoto to Mabila, situated where southbound trails to Mobile Bay on the north side of the Alabama River converged (on St. Stephens-Cahaba Road beside Prairie Bluff).
"Having entered within, we were walking with the Indians, chatting, as if we had them in peace, because only three hundred or so appeared there... they began to do their dances and songs... fifteen or twenty women in front of us... Chief Tuscalusa arose and entered one of those houses... the guard entered to bring him out, and he (the guard) saw so many people within... that he told the Governor that those houses were full of Indians, all with bows and arrows... The governor called to another Indian who was passing by there, who likewise refused to come. A Nobleman... seized him by the arm in order to bring him, and then the Indian gave a pull that set himself free.. the Nobleman put hand to his sword and gave him a slash that cut off an arm. Upon wounding this Indian, all began to shoot arrows at us... we suffered so much damage that we were forced to leave, fleeing from the town... When the Indians saw us outside, they closed the gates of the town and began to beat there drums and to raise banners with a great yell, and to open our trunks and bundles and display from the top of the wall all that we had brought..."
"The few riders... (who had fled from) the village with their horses (and)... a few others who had arrived from the (army's) march... went to resist the... Indians (who) were pursuing the Spaniards who were fighting on foot. They, however much they tried, could not prevent the Indians from driving (DeSoto and his escorts) across the plain... until the Indians saw the horses charging them. Then the Indians held up a little and gave our men a chance to rally and form two divisions, one of foot soldiers and one of horsemen."
"At this time, all the horse and foot (soldiers) who came marching behind (DeSoto), happened to reach Mavilla. They were of different opinions there as to whether they should attack the Indians in order to enter into the town or whether this should be avoided, as the entrance was doubtful. But, at last, it was decided to attack them."
"These fell upon the Indians with such courage... that they did not stop until they had shut (the Indians)... in the village. But when (we) attempted to enter, such a shower of arrows and stones rained upon (us) from the wall and its loopholes that (we) withdrew... Seeing (us) retire, the Indians came out again with the same impetuosity as the first time, some through the gate and others jumping down from the wall. They engaged our men rashly, even grasping the horsemen's lances, and the Spaniards were forced, in spite of themselves, to (retreat) more than two hundred paces from the wall [probably to the pond mentioned below]."
"Our men at once charged the enemy and drove them back toward the village, but they made a strong attack from the wall, from which the Spaniards came to understand that it was better to fight them on the plain, at a distance from the village, than near it (given that horses could be used to advantage only in the open). Thus from that time on, when (our people retreated) they purposely yielded more ground than the Indians forced them to lose, in order to draw the Indians away from the village..."
"The Indians fought with so great a spirit that they drove us outside again and again. It took them so long to get back that many of the Christians, tired out and suffering great thirst, went to get a drink at a pond located near the stockade, but it was tinged with the blood of the dead..."
"There were many wounds and deaths in this obstinate battle, but the one that caused the Spaniards the greatest regret and grief... because of the misfortune through which it happened and because of the person upon whom it fell... was that of Don Carlos Enriquez, a gentleman... He was married to a niece of the governor and, because of his great virtue and affability, he was esteemed and beloved by all... From the beginning of the battle this gentleman had fought like a very valiant soldier during all the attacks and retreats, and his horse having been wounded in the last retreat by an arrow that had gone into one side of his breast above the breast-leather, in order to draw it out he changed his lance from his right hand to his left, and grasping the arrow, pulled at it. With his body extended forward along the horse's neck, he made an effort (to remove the arrow), (but by) turning his head slightly over his left shoulder so that his throat, which was unprotected, without armor (for all the rest of his body was well armored)... (the arrow) wounded him in such a manner that the poor gentleman at once fell down from his horse with his (own) throat cut, though he did not die until the next day."
"With such events incident to battles, Indians and Castillians fought with many deaths on both sides, although the mortality was greater among the Indians because they had no defensive arms (shields, crossbows, lances or horses). After fighting for more than three hours on the plain, the (Indians) realized that they were getting the worst... and they all decided to withdraw toward the village, close the gates, and station themselves on the walls. This they did, calling to one another to assemble from every direction. On seeing the Indians closed up (inside the fortress), the governor ordered that all the mounted soldiers, because they were better armed than the foot soldiers, dismount and attack the village, taking shields to defend themselves and axes to break in the gates, as most of them carried axes with them... Instantly a squadron... was formed, which attacked the gate, broke it down with axes, and entered through it with no little damage to themselves." (In the meantime, the Indians who were) closed up in the village... ran to the house that had been designated for the governor's service and chamber, which they had not attacked hitherto because it seemed to them that they had it safely (in their grasp). Thus they now went very boldly to enjoy the spoils that were in it."
"But they found the house well defended, because inside were three crossbowmen and five halberdiers of the governor's guard who were accustomed to accompany his equipage and servants, and one of the first Indians whom they captured in that country, who was now a friend and a faithful servant, and as such carried his bow and arrows to be ready when it should be necessary to fight against those of his own nation in the favor and service of the foreigner. There also happened to be in the house two priests, and a cleric and a friar, and two of the governor's slaves. All these people stationed themselves to defend the house, the priests with their prayers and (the guards) with arms, and they fought so courageously that the enemy could not gain the door. The Indians then decided to go in through the roof and accordingly opened it in three or four places, but the crossbowmen and the Indian archer worked so effectively that those who dared enter through the holes in the roof were shot down dead or badly wounded, as they appeared (through the holes in the roof). These few Spaniards were conducting this spirited defense when the general and his captains and soldiers came up to the door of the house,fighting, and drove the enemy away from it. Thereupon those in the house were released and went out to the field, giving thanks to God for having saved them from such danger."