situation that early in 1864 it passed another act "to suspend
the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in certain cases."
This was not quite the same as that sweeping act of 1862 which
had set the Mercury irrevocably in opposition. Though this act of
1864 gave the President the power to order the arrest of any
person suspected of treasonable practices, and though it released
military officers from all obligation to obey the order of any
civil court to surrender a prisoner charged with treason, the new
legislation carefully defined a list of cases in which alone this
power could be lawfully used. This was the last act of the sort
passed by the Confederate Congress, and when it expired by
limitation ninety days after the next meeting of Congress it was
not renewed.

With regard to the administration of the army, Congress can
hardly be said to have met the President more than half way. The
age of military service was lowered to seventeen and was raised
to fifty. But the President was not given--though he had asked
for it--general control over exemptions. Certain groups, such as
ministers, editors, physicians, were in the main exempted; one
overseer was exempted on each plantation where there were fifteen
slaves, provided he gave bond to sell to the Government at
official prices each year one hundred pounds of either beef or
bacon for each slave employed and provided he would sell all his
surplus produce either to the Government or to the families of
soldiers. Certain civil servants of the Confederacy were also
exempted as well as those whom the governors of States should
"certify to be necessary for the proper administration of the
State Government." The President was authorized to detail for
nonmilitary service any members of the Confederate forces "when