apprehension as to the character of the treatment they would
receive from the United States. For days and weeks, fright-
ened women lived in a state of fearful suspense, in hourly
expectation of the beginning of all that their fruitful imagi-
nations had pictured of Northern vandalism and rapacity.
Old men, as well as some younger ones, shared largely in
this belief. They desired some assurance from the Federal
government as to what its policy would be. Hence the idea
of a commission to Washington. During this period there
would not have been much controversy about terms, but as
the anticipated retribution was continually delayed, the worst
apprehensions subsided, the equanimity of the people was
restored, and the feeling of terror passed away with the
issuance of the North Carolina proclamation of May 29. ¹

The commissioners selected by Governor Clarke to go to
Washington and ascertain the wishes of the President were
Ex-Chief Justice Sharkey and Hon. William Yerger. They
were both old-line Whigs with strong Union proclivities, and,
like the President, were natives of Tennessee. There were,
to be sure, no safer men in the state to follow during this
critical time than Sharkey and Yerger. ² They proceeded at
once to Washington, notified the President of their arrival
and of the purpose of their mission, and solicited an inter-
view. They were informed that they could not be received
as commissioners of Mississippi, but only as private indi-
viduals. As such they were received with great cordiality
and kindness, and were asked to suggest their proposed
scheme of reconstruction. They represented to him the
terrible condition of the country, the great destitution of
the people, and the anarchy resulting from the subversion
of civil law and the establishment of martial law. They
asked that steps be taken to restore them to their original
relations with the Federal union, and thereby insure peace
and repose to the people. They proposed that the conven-
tion called by the legislature be allowed to meet and reorgan-

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