“Redistributing the Land to Black Refugees”
by: William T. Sherman, Special Field Order
No.15(1865)
Brandon Cavillo-Chou, Calvin Dolloso, Lydia Morohunfola
Period: 5
Historical Context
 The special field order written by William T. Sherman, “Redistributing
Land to Black Refugees” was created after his infamous march across
Georgia, in which he was an instrumental key in beating the
Confederacy.
 The special field order number 15 was written in January of 1865.
 Aimed to deal with the challenge of displaced slaves.
 Once Andrew Jackson became president he reversed Sherman’s policy.
 Allowed for “Negroes” to be able to live the same lives as whites.
 Gave them a whole lot more freedom to do things, such as having land,
not having to be dealt around, and can do anything for their livelihood.
 However there will be an Inspector of Settlements and Plantations,
whose duty shall be to visit the settlements, to regulate their police and
general management.
Intended Audience
 The intended audience of the piece is mainly for AfricanAmericans and the general public because it addresses that
African-Americans are able to posses such rights by an order
given by a union general.
 Sherman destroyed the confederacy and liberated thousands
of enslaved Africans.
 “The islands from Charleston... Florida, are reserved and set
apart for the settlement of the negroes now”
 “By the laws of war, and orders of the United States military
authority and the acts of congress.”
Purpose
 -The purpose of the meeting was for Sherman and Stanton to
gather information on how freedmen understood the war, and
how they imagined their future in a post-war America.
 - Based on the conversation that took place that evening, on
January 16, 1865, William T. Sherman issued Special Field
Order No. 15.
 - Upon Sherman’s order, 400,000 acres of land, including
Georgia’s Sea Islands and the mainland thirty miles in from
the coast, were redistributed to newly freed slaves.
Point of View
 Sherman’s P.O.V
 Sherman wanted to understand how freed blacks would
imagine their lives after the war.
 It was the first time federal officials confirmed with freed
slaves about the future of African Americans.
 Cared for how the war meant to the black’s knowing that
there were black troops present in the war
Point of View (Pt. 2)
 Black’s P.O.V- (Slaves/Freed)
 The event came so sudden, that they weren’t prepared for it.
 Being able to leave the plantation with nothing but their
clothes on their backs
 Slave felt their purpose was to be someone who had no
control over their life’s decisions.
 The idea gave birth to the idea of prove that the
Emancipation Proclamation would finally give them a true
stake in the land they have toiled on for centuries
Outside Information
 The Special Field Order No.15 is quiet similar to the many
acts used to relocate native Americans. Both of these orders
provide land to races that were once been enslaved by the
United States. These act both exclude any white presence in
the territories given to the people; however both involve
checkups on the communities in order to monitor their lives
in order to assure they are following the guidelines of the
agreement. Both these act claim to give freedom to the
oppressed but still force assimilation onto them.
Synthesis
 The Special Field Order provided a solution to the influx of
now free slaves who are without a home or job. The Order
accommodate former slaves with land and the freedom to
establish t heir own community similar to the act used for
Native Americans. Despite it good intention the special Field
Order could be seen an earlier forms of the Jim Crow Laws
which legalize segregation between races, on the grounds
that the order separated whites and blacks thus allowing
racial tensions to surge without a way to fix it.
Thank you for your time !