The 1540 Battle That Changed the South

In September 1540, Hernando de Soto and his entourage marched into Talisi -- which these days is known as Tallassee and is about 30 miles northeast of Montgomery in central Alabama.1478298538973 It must have been quite the impressive sight: 600 Spanish soldiers, many on horseback, along with uncounted servants and burden-bearers, plus the chief and other important personages from the Coosa people to the north, whom De Soto had visited previously.1478298569164 There were a few attack dogs, too, and lots and lots of pigs from a Spanish province now famed for its jamón.

Talisi wasn’t too shabby either. A thick-walled town on the banks of the Tallapoosa River, it was in the middle of a rich harvest season. Food was plentiful, and De Soto and his army stuck around for 17 days before venturing into the neighboring territory of Chief Tascaluca.1478298588309