ARMISTICE, a suspension of hostilities by mutual agree ment between two nations at war or their respective forces. An armistice may be either general or particular. In the first case there is a complete cessation of hostile operations in every part of the dominions of the belligerent powers; in the second there is merely a temporary truce between two contending armies, or between a besieged fortress and the force besieging it. Such a temporary truce, when for a very limited period and for a special purpose, e.g., the collection of the wounded and the burial of the dead, is termed a suspension of arms. A general armistice cannot be concluded by the commanders-in-chief unless special authority has been previously delegated to them by their respective Govern ments ; otherwise any arrangement entered into by them requires subsequent ratification by the supreme powers of the States. A partial armistice may be concluded by every commander of even the smallest detachment without any special authority from his Government or superior officer. The conduct of belligerent parties during an armistice is usually regulated in modern warfare by express agreement between the parties.