Otis 0. Howard. of Maine. who was the director of the Freedmens Bureau. and General Howard. as its first president. led the fight to obtain Congressional support for the school in its early days. The Freedmens Bureau. as it was commonly known. but which officially was designated as the Bureau of Refugees. Freed Men and Abandoned Lands. was established in 1865. when the War Between the States was drawing to a close. It had the power to take over land in Southern States which was confiscated or abandoned and. by sale or otherwise. to make it available to refugees or freed men in units of not more than 40 acres for their protected use and enjoyment for 3 years. The Bureau also was given power previously exercised by the Treasury and War Departments to seize and sell the lands held by the Confederate States. as well as abandoned lands. and to use the proceeds of such sales for the education of freed slaves. It was through the exercise of this power to seize southern land and sell it that funds were obtained to purchase property on which Howard University and Freedmens Hospital were established.
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