The battle at Mabila between the army of Hernando de Soto and the warriors of Chief Tascalusa was one of the bloodiest Native American battles ever fought in North America and a major turning point in De Soto's effort to conquer the area that would become the southeastern United States. Chief Tascalusa carefully planned an ambush, using a promise of slaves and supplies to lure De Soto and his advance guard into the fortified town of Mabila, where hundreds of concealed warriors drove him and his trapped men out the gate with clubs and arrows. After the main body of Spanish troops arrived, De Soto laid siege to Mabila, and the battle lasted through the entire day of October 18, 1540. No one surrendered, many Native Americans died within the burning town, and the most reliable casualty estimates range from 2,500 to 3,000, while only 20 to 30 armored Spaniards died though many more suffered serious arrow wounds. Though victorious, the Spaniards were demoralized after losing much of their equipment, many horses, and suffering casualties, and afterward they camped near the smoldering village to nurse their wounds and bury their dead. To avoid the disgrace of failure, De Soto marched away from supply ships waiting on the Gulf Coast and went north and west to the Mississippi River. The exact location of Mabila remains disputed, with some placing it near Old Cahawba and others at the forks of the Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers, and the exact route of De Soto through the southeastern United States likewise remains uncertain because his army left little physical evidence and no accurate measurements, though a reconstructed route based on the best available evidence has gained the widest acceptance and has been marked as the Alabama Highway Route of the De Soto Trail.