"At this junction what was supposed to be a flag of truce was raised, and the rebels, thinking it was a signal for a cessation of hostilities, ceased firing along the line, during which the regiment sought and secured a safer position not quite so near the works..."—Lieutenant William F. Tiemann,159th New York Infantry RegimentTrapped 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. The Confederates on this end of the line honored the flag and stopped firing, and the New Yorkers and other Union troops escaped to safety. The Union commander had not authorized a truce nor did the Union soldiers follow 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.
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