Who was William Tecumseh Sherman?

• A. A Union General who wanted to give 40 acres and a mule to African-Americans freed from slavery
• B. A Confederate general who led secessionists
• C. A U.S. President during Reconstruction
• D. A journalist from the Civil War era

Answer: (A)

William Tecumseh Sherman was a Union general during the Civil War, famous for his hard-war approach and sweeping campaigns in the South. One action often associated with him is Special Field Orders No. 15, which set aside land along parts of the coast for formerly enslaved people and promised 40-acre plots with the possibility of mules to help farm them. This reflected Reconstruction-era ideas about redistributing land to newly freed African Americans, though the policy was not lasting and was reversed later. So describing him as a Union general who sought to give 40 acres and a mule to African-Americans aligns with a well-known aspect of his role and actions. He was not a Confederate general, nor a president during Reconstruction, nor a journalist.