DE SOTO
754
DE SOTO
Cuba, it was not long before he had a fair number of
mounts for the men of the Florida expedition. Just
about this time, the city of Havana was sacked and
burned by the French, and de Soto, upon learning of
it, despatched Captain Aceituno with some men to
repair the ruins. .^ he was contemplating an early
departure for his conquest of Florida, he named Gon-
zalo de Guzman as lieutenant-governor to administer
justice in Santiago and vicinity, while for affairs of
state, he gave full powers to his wife. Meanwhile, he
continued his preparations for the expedition to Flor-
ida. In the latter part of August, 15.38, the ships
sailed for Havana, while de Soto started by land
with .350 horses and the remainder of the expedition.
The two parties arrived at Havana within a few days
of each other, and de Soto immediately made plans
for the rebuilding of the city. He also entrusted to
Captain .\ceituno the building of a fortress for the pro-
tection of the harbour and the city from any possible
future attack. At the same time, he ordered Juan do
Afiasco, a skilled and experienced sailor, to set out in
advance to explore the coasts and harbours of Florida
•so that it would facilitate matters when the main ex-
oedition sailed. Aiiasco returned at the end of a few
months and made a satisfactory report.
The expedition was finally made ready, and on 18 May, 1539, de Soto set sail with a fleet of nine vessels. He had with him 1000 men exclusive of the sailors, all well armed and making up what was considered to be the best equipped expedition that had ever set out for conquest in the New World. They proceeded with favourable weather until 25 May, when land was seen and they cast anchor in a bay to which they gave the name of Espiritu Santo (now Tampa Bay). The army landed on Friday, 30 May, two leagues from an Indian village. From this point the Spaniards began their explorations of the wild unknown country to the north and west which lasted for nearly three years. They passed through a region already made hostile by the violence of the invader Narvaez, and they were constantly deceived by the Indians, who tried to get them as far away as possible by telling them stories of great wealth which was to be found at remote points. They wandered from place to place, always disap- pointed in their expectations, but still lured onward by the tales they heard of the vast riches which lay just beyond. They treated the Indians brutally whenever they met them, and they were, as a result, constantly at war with them. Setting out from Es- piritu Santo, de Soto, with considerable loss of men, went through the provinces of .\cuera, Ocali, Vita- chuco, and Osachile (all situated in the western part of the Florida peninsula), with the purpose of finally reaching the territory of Apalache (situated in the north-western part of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico), as he considered the fertility and maritime conditions of that country well suited to his purposes. He finally reached the province, and after some fighting with the Indians, subjugated it. In October, 1539, de Soto sent Juan Afiasco with thirty men to Espiritu Santo Bay where he had left his ships and a portion of his expedition, with orders to start from there with the ships and follow the coast until he reached the bay of Ante (St. Marks on .4palachee Bay) in the province of Apalache. Here he was to be joined by Pedro Cal- deron, who had orders to proceed by land with the re- mainder of the expedition and the provisions and camp equipment that had been left on the coast. At the same time, G6mez Arias was to sail to Havana to acquaint de Soto's wife with the progress of the ex- pedition. After many hardships, ,\nasco reached Espiritu Santo Bay, whence he started with the ships to carry out de Soto's orders. He arriveil at .\ute in safety, and was there joined by Calderon with the land forces according to arrangement. Meanwhile, Gomez Arias had fulfilled his mission to Havana and the triumphs of the Spaniards in Florida were
fitly celebrated in that city. De Soto now ordered
Diego Maldonado, a captain of infantry who had
served him well, to give up his command, and take
two ships with which he was to explore the coast of
Florida for a distance of one hundred leagues to the
west of Ante, and map out its bays and inlets. Mal-
donado did his work successfully and upon his return,
in February, 1540, was sent to Havana, with orders to
inform the Governor's wife and announce to the Cu-
bans as well all that they had seen and done. De
Soto gave him further orders to return in October and
meet him in the Bay of Achusi which Maldonado had
discovered during his exploration. He was to bring
back with him as many ships as he could procure, and
also munitions of war, provisions, and clothing for the
soldiers. But de Soto was destined never to see
Maldonado again, nor was he to have the benefit of the
suppUes for which he was sending him, for though
Maldonado was able to carry out his orders to the
letter, when he arrived at Achusi in the fall he found
neither trace nor tidings of de Soto. He waited for
some time and explored the country quite a distance,
but without finding him, and was forced to return to
Havana. He tried again the next year, and again the
following, but always with the same result.
MeanwhUe, de Soto had started in March, 1540, from the province of Apalache with the intention of exploring the coimtry to the north. He explored the pro\ances of Altapaha (or .Altamaha), .Vchalaque, Cofa, and Cofaque, all situated in eastern and northern Georgia, meeting with fair success. He then worked his way in a south-westerly direction, intending to reach the coast at Achusi where he hatl agreed to meet Maldonado with the supply ships. But when he reached the province of Tascaluza in southern Ala- bama, where he had been told there were immense riches, the Indians in large niunbers offered a more stubborn resistance and gave him the worst battle he had yet had. The battle lasted nine hours and was finally won by the Spaniards, though nearly all the officers and men, including de Soto himself, were wounded. According to Garcilasso, there were 70 Spaniards and 11,000 Indians killed in the battle, and in addition the town of Mauvila (now Mobile) was destroyed by a fire which also consiuned the provis- ions of the Spaniards. While in Tascaluza, de Soto heard of some Spanish ships which were on the coast at Achusi. These were the ships which Maldonado had brought back from Havana with the supplies. De Soto thought he would be able to reach them in a short time for he had been informed that he was then but thirty leagues from the coast. But his troops were so exhausted that he was forced to rest for a few days. Worn out by the long marches and the hard- ships they had undergone, and disappointed at not finding any treasure, some of de Soto's followers secretly plotted to abandon him, make their way to Achusi, and sail to Mexico or Peru. Learning of this, de Soto changed his plans, and, instead of marching toward the coast to join Maldonado, he led his men toward the interior in a westerly direction, knowing that they would not dare to desert him with the ships so far away. He hoped to reach New Spain (Mexico) by land. In a night battle (December, 1540), he lost forty men and fifty horses besides having many wounded, and during the next four months he was attacked almost nightly. In April, 1541, he came upon a fort surrounded with a stockade, and in storm- ing it nearly all his men were woimded and many were killed. It is said that over 2000 Indians were killeil in this battle, but so many of the Spaniards were wounded that de Soto was compelled to stop for a few days in order to care for them. Notwitli.'^tanding his repeated losses de Soto continued toward the interior, traversing several provinces cimstituting the present Gulf States, until he reached the Mississippi at a point in the northern part of the present state of Mississippi.
