(är´kensô) , community on the Arkansas River, SE Ark. Founded by the French in 1686 as a trading post, it is the oldest white settlement in the state; it became the capital of the Arkansas territory in 1819. Once an important port, Arkansas Post was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War until it was captured by Union troops in 1863. Arkansas Post National Memorial is there (see National Parks and Monuments , table).
