On August 5, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln reversed a policy that had been implemented earlier during the Civil War regarding the distribution of land to freedmen (formerly enslaved African Americans). This decision was part of a broader debate over land redistribution in the post-Civil War South. The original policy, often associated with General William Tecumseh Sherman, was known as Special Field Orders No. 15, issued in January 1865. This order had set aside land along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, as well as parts of Florida, for freedmen to settle on, with the intention of providing them with economic independence.

However, in 1864, Lincoln and his administration faced significant political pressures, particularly from Southern whites and some Northern Republicans, who opposed the redistribution of land. Lincoln was also concerned about the practical challenges of implementing such a policy and the potential for it to escalate tensions. As a result, he chose not to pursue the widespread redistribution of land, opting instead for a more cautious approach to Reconstruction.

Special Field Orders No. 15 was rescinded after Lincoln’s assassination, and the land that had been allocated to freedmen was returned to former Confederate landowners. The broader issue of land redistribution for freed slaves was never fully realized, leaving many African Americans without the land and resources they needed for true economic freedom in the Reconstruction era.