A more thorough explanation:

Herislit is a historical term that means surrendering or laying down of arms. It can also refer to the crime of deserting from an army.

• After a long and bloody battle, the losing army had no choice but to perform herislit and surrender to the victors.
• During the Civil War, soldiers who were caught deserting from their units were often punished for committing herislit.

These examples show how herislit was used in historical contexts to describe the act of surrendering or deserting from an army. It was a serious offense that could result in punishment or even death.