true or false Forty free acres of land on Sea Island and a mule were given to each former slave by the Union army to make a fresh start

True. After the Civil War, during the period known as "Forty Acres and a Mule," General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Orders No. 15, which reserved forty acres of land on Sea Island and provided mules to each former slave in an effort to assist them in rebuilding their lives. However, this policy was later reversed by President Andrew Johnson, and the land was returned to its original owners.