In the meanwhile, however, a proclamation was received from
the President of the Confederate States declaring martial law
over the whole region under Pemberton's command, and using the
words of Pemberton's Order No. 11, "suspending civil jurisdiction,
etc." General Pemberton, therefore, rescinded his orders
continuing the mayoralty and sessions of the State court, and
putting his exercise of these prerogatives of martial law under
the President's and not the Governor's authority. The court
closed its doors; but the provost marshal never assumed cognizance
of the cases on its calendar, or to decide any purely civil
cases. These remained in abeyance. The organization of the
Common Council was also suspended, but the police force was
kept on duty under the supervision of the provost marshal. The
utility of this arrangement was to some extent marred by
jealousy existing between the assistant provost marshal in charge
of the police department and the mayor, having inception in their
past relations.
The presence of a large military force in the city was necessary
to carry out General Pemberton's "dog" specification; and
these troops themselves, newly raised and badly disciplined,
required the enforcement of the most stringent regulations to
keep them in order. A number were already in and near the
city; their officers infested the hotels and barrooms, and an editorial
in The Mercury of the 13th (the day on which it had been
announced that martial law would at noon go into effect) called
attention to outrages of a flagrant character already committed
with impunity by those of lower grade. The hegira of citizens
also greatly complicated the passport matter. A very stringent
supervision of passports was required by the provost's instructions,
and was necessary unless the whole matter was to be a
farce. The city was known to be infested with spies and the
enemy in daily receipt of information from it. Unfortunately
the citizens had already become accustomed to a very loose passport
system which had been inaugurated and put under the
mayor's charge. Under this system blank passports signed by
the mayor were filled up at any hour of the day or night by a
policeman at the guard house of the police force, and these were
sometimes examined and sometimes not by other policemen at
some of the more public places of arrival and departure from
the city. With a full sense of the difficulties surrounding it,
Colonel Hagood entered on his labor. The following regulations,
prepared and submitted for approval, on the morning of the 12th,
were published in all the daily papers with the appointments and
orders copied below. Headquarters were established in the court
house, office hours, etc., announced, and the experiment launched.
