Flag of Truce

Trapped here between the withering crossfire from Fort Desperate and Commissary Hill on May 27, an officer of the 159th New York Infantry Regiment raised a flag of truce. Confederates on this end of the line honored the flag and stopped firing, allowing the New Yorkers and other Union troops to escape to safety. The Union commander had not authorized a truce, and the Union soldiers had not followed the proper military procedures of the day pertaining to a truce. The following day, Union commander Major General Nathaniel P. Banks formally apologized to Port Hudson's Confederate commander, Major General Franklin Gardner, for the error.

Louisiana · United States