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Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
This Day in Arkansas History
May 17, 1864
The Capture of Dardanelle (Yell County) marked the opening action of Confederate Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby’s summer operations north of the Arkansas River, much of which focused on trying to thwart shipping operations on the White River and raiding the Memphis to Little Rock Railroad. In this Confederate victory, besides capturing about 100 Union cavalrymen, the Confederates freed eighty-six Southern prisoners and seized eleven army wagons, four sutler stores, several commissary wagons, and several freed slaves. Confederate casualties were unreported, as were Union casualties other than the 100 Yankees who surrendered.
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About the Encyclopedia
The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.
Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics and more!
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