There were several authors. Interestingly one was William T Herman who wanted blacks settled on abandoned lands and given a government mule and some food and seed so they could raise their own food and not be permanent recipients of army rations handed out by the Freedman’s Bureau. Curiously by the late 1890’s the United Confederate Veterans passed motions supporting the 40 acres scheme. The idea was the US government would pay for the land and livestock and that would pump cash into the perennial cash starved South as well as settle indigent blacks on small place that were theirs thus reducing the incredible poverty of these people and take some of the pressure of competition off white tenant and share croppers. Life in the post bellum rural south was one of perpetual struggle to try and just tread water and keep from drowning or to use another analogy like being in a room where the oxygen was being steadily pumped out.
Not the mysterious William T Herman but William T. Sherman.