The Battle of St. Charles was fought on June 17, 1862, at St. Charles, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Earlier in 1862, a force commanded by Samuel R. Curtis, a major general of the Union Army, became bogged down in northern Arkansas. A Union relief force was sent up the White River to resupply Curtis. The Confederates had constructed fortifications near St. Charles. An infantry unit was sent ashore to attack the fortifications on land, while Union ships attacked from the river. During the fight, a Confederate fired what has been referred to as the deadliest shot of the war, striking the ironclad USS Mound City, puncturing one of its steam drums, and filling the ship with scalding steam (depicted), killing 105 and wounding 25. Only about 25 aboard escaped unhurt. The infantrymen on land took the Confederate position. The supply mission was unable to reach Curtis, and withdrew back down the river. Curtis's army then cut loose from their supply line and marched to Helena, Arkansas.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_St._Charles> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1579: Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Albion> 1795: French Revolutionary Wars: Off the coast of Brittany, a Royal Navy squadron commanded by William Cornwallis fended off a numerically superior French Navy fleet. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwallis%27s_Retreat> 1952: Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km2) in area to local peasants. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decree_900> 2015: A white supremacist committed a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people during a prayer service. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_church_shooting> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: bunker: 1. (military) A hardened shelter, often partly buried or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks. 2. (nautical) A container for storing coal or fuel oil for a ship's engine; (by extension) the quantity of fuel needed to replenish that container. 3. (rail transport) The coal compartment on a tank engine. 4. (sports) 5. (golf) A hazard on a golf course consisting of a sand-filled hollow. 6. (paintball) An obstacle used to block an opposing player's view and field of fire. 7. (Britain, chiefly historical) A large bin or container for storing coal, often built outdoors in the yard of a house. 8. (Scotland) 9. A sort of box or chest, as in a window, the lid of which serves as a seat. 10. (slang) A kitchen worktop. 11. (Britain, slang) One who bunks off; a truant from school. 12. (US, regional) The menhaden, any of several species of fish in the genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium. 13. (transitive) 14. (nautical) To load (a vessel) with coal or fuel oil for the engine. 15. (sports) 16. (golf) To hit (a golf ball) into a bunker; (chiefly passive) to place (a golfer) in the position of having a golf ball in a bunker. 17. (by extension, Britain, informal) To place (someone) in a position that is difficult to get out of; to hinder. 18. (paintball) To fire constantly at (an opponent hiding behind an obstacle), trapping them and preventing them from firing at other players; also, to eliminate (an opponent behind an obstacle) by rushing to the position and firing at extremely close range as the player becomes exposed. 19. (intransitive) 20. Often followed by down: to take shelter in a bunker or other place. 21. (nautical) Of a vessel: to take a load of coal or fuel oil for its engine. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bunker> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: False claims that our elections have been stolen from us corrupt our democracy, as they corrupt us. To continue to insist and persist in the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is itself an affront to our democracy and to the Constitution of the United States — an affront without precedent. Those who think that because America is a republic, theft and corruption of our national elections and electoral process are not theft and corruption of our democracy are sorely mistaken. America is both a republic and a representative democracy, and therefore a sustained attack on our national elections is a fortiori an attack on our democracy, any political theory otherwise notwithstanding. --J. Michael Luttig <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._Michael_Luttig> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/daily-article-l.lists.wikimedia.org Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
