A Lull in the Fighting

A Lull in the Fighting. . , His Line Divided , Colonel Cyrus Dunham had defeated the Confederate attack on the rear of his forces, but to what end? The Union force was divided and confused. Dunham, who had held the brigade together all day by riding up and down the line, calming his men, was south of the fence with part of his force. As the Confederate artillery continued its relentless pounding, the thin line at the split-rail fence began to waver. White flags appeared., A Demand for Surrender , General Nathan Bedford Forrest sent an officer under a flag of truce to demand Dunham's surrender. As the officer rode toward the Union position, both sides stopped firing. General Nathan Bedford Forrest wrote, "We occupied the battle-field...and had demanded a surrender of the brigade." Colonel Edward F. Noyes of the 39th Ohio regiment reported, "Firing had ceased." Another Ohio colonel stated: "Firing had ceased on both sides, and flags of truce were passing between the parties engaged.", A False Peace , When a flag of truce approached the lines, military protocol demanded that hostilities cease. During these lulls in the fighting, soldiers often mixed and traded goods. The Union and Confederate soldiers at Parker's Crossroads took a breath; soldiers on both sides relaxed. Forrest's Adjutant Major John Strange rode to the Union wagon train to inventory what he supposed were captured goods. , Dunham refused Forrest's demand for surrender. When Forrest heard Dunham's reply, he sent the officer with the white flag back to Dunham a second time, this time demanding unconditional surrender. Again, Dunham refused. , As the two sides parlayed, Union Colonel John Fuller deployed his artillery at the Parker house and his men in line of battle north of Forrest's line. Dunham's reinforcements had arrived.