Arkansas Post was not a single fort and trading center but a series of at least seven posts on the Arkansas River between here and the Mississippi from 1686 until 1863, and the flags of five nations flew over them. The first, established in 1686 by Frenchman Henri de Tonti, was the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi Valley and predated New Orleans by 32 years. Succeeding military and trading posts under French and Spanish rule operated here until 1804, when the United States flag first flew over the Post of Arkansas. In 1819 Arkansas Post became the capital of Arkansas Territory, but after Little Rock was founded in 1821 the capital moved there and Arkansas Post declined in political importance. In January 1863, Union forces captured the Confederate fort here and destroyed much of the town.