Editing Darien, Georgia (section)

===Civil War and after===
[[Image:DarienRuins.jpg|thumb|200px|Ruins of warehouses on the waterfront from the burning of the city in 1863]]
[[File:Building in Darien, GA, US at Broad & Screven.jpg|right|thumb|Adam Strain building at Broad and Screven, the only existing building that survived the 1863 burning of Darien by the US Army]]
On June 11, 1863, [[Union Army|Union]] troops stationed on [[St. Simons Island]] looted and destroyed most of the town, including the homes of black residents, mostly slaves. This was not part of [[Sherman's March to the Sea]], which occurred more than a year later. Confusion has arisen because the St. Simons Island troops were under the command of another General Sherman, stationed in the South Carolina Sea Islands. The destruction of the undefended city, which was of little strategic importance, was carried out by the [[54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment|54th Massachusetts Volunteers]] under the command of a reluctant Colonel [[Robert Gould Shaw]] and the [[2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Colored)|2nd South Carolina Volunteers]] under the command of Colonel [[James Montgomery (colonel)|James Montgomery]]. Colonel Montgomery ordered that the town be looted and burned. This was part of the Union strategy to damage the Confederate states' ability to supply food and materiel towards their war effort.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unf.edu/floridahistoryonline/montgomery/ |title="Montgomery's Raids in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina", by William Lee Apthorp, Lt. Colonel, 34th United States Colored Infantry, June 1864. |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925184618/http://www.unf.edu/floridahistoryonline/montgomery/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Montgomery's troops allegedly broke ranks and looted freely, while Shaw ordered his troops to take only what would be useful at camp. (He later described the raid as a "Satanic action.")<ref>{{Cite web|title = Massachusetts 54th Company A|url = http://www.mass54thcompany-a.com/history/index.html|website = www.mass54thcompany-a.com|access-date = November 10, 2015}}</ref>

The destruction of Darien was most famously depicted in the 1989 film [[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]].

The First African Baptist Church (claimed to be the oldest African American church in the county) was destroyed along with the rest of the town. It was rebuilt, and later some meetings of the 20th-century [[Civil Rights Movement]] were held there.

After the [[U.S. Army]] destroyed Darien, gunboats were used to [[Union blockade|blockade]] the port. The troops plundered residents and plantations of McIntosh County for food, as armies lived off the land to a great extent. The only defenders left in the county were a group of men too old for military service. On the night of August 3, 1864, the county's white defenders had met at the Ebenezer Church, {{cvt|9|mi}} north of Darien. Union troops found out about the meeting from the local enslaved people. The troops surrounded the church, opened fire, and captured 23 men.<ref>{{cite book |title=The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0VlkzPZRlMC&pg=PA424 |volume=XXXV |year=1891 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=424}}</ref> These men were marched to a landing near Darien, put on ships, and taken to prisons in the North.<ref name="GeorgiaInfo2016">{{cite web |title=Historical Markers by County - GeorgiaInfo |url=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/mcintosh/capture-of-23-old-men-in-1864 |website=georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu |publisher=Digital Library of Georgia |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918131920/http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/mcintosh/capture-of-23-old-men-in-1864 |archive-date=September 18, 2016 |language=en|date=2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:General view of Darien.jpg|left|thumb|View of [[St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Darien, Georgia)|St. Andrews Episcopal Church]] and [[Vernon Square–Columbus Square Historic District|Vernon Square]] in Darien in 1910.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://standrewsstcyprians.georgiaepiscopal.org/ |title=The Episcopal Community of McIntosh County |website=standrewsstcyprians.georgiaepiscopal.org |language=en-US |access-date=April 13, 2017}}</ref>]]

Following the Civil War, Darien was rebuilt, with financial aid coming in small part from the family of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. He had been killed during the war but had written to his family of his shame in participating in the destruction of it.<ref>Burchard, Peter. ''One Gallant Rush,'' p.151</ref>

Into the early 1900s, Darien was one of the largest Southeastern ports for shipping lumber. When the timber was depleted, Darien became a fishing village, known primarily for Georgia wild [[shrimp]]. It was once famous for its [[oyster]]s.

On September 8, 1930, two African American men, George Grant and Willie Bryan, were [[Lynching|lynch]]ed by a mob of Darien's residents in the Darien Jail due to the death of Police Chief Robert L. Freeman and the wounding of Deputy Collins and two other officers while trying to capture the two men after a robbery at the Darien Bank. The town was put under [[martial law]] by Colonel W.R. Neal of the Georgia militia in response to the mob.<ref name="NYT1930">{{cite news|title=Darien, Georgia Negro Lynchings|url=http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/626279?imagelist=1#full-images|access-date=July 7, 2017|work=New York Times|date=September 9, 1930|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707025404/http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/626279?imagelist=1#full-images|archive-date=July 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Donald Lee Grant. ''The Way it was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia,'' p.327</ref>

There are 32 markers of historic sites near Darien and 42 markers in McIntosh County. (See the external link for a list.)

Darien in the 21st century has shown signs of growth. With the formation of the [[Interstate Highway System]], [[Interstate 95 in Georgia|Interstate 95]] was constructed and passes approximately {{cvt|1|mi|0}} west of the city. This drew off businesses from the city center as development ensued near the I-95 interchange with [[Georgia State Route 251|GA 251]]. This has resulted in the building of several chain restaurants, gas stations, and hotels, as well as a small outlet mall. But downtown Darien has flourished with an emphasis on its historic heritage and the waterfront. Many new businesses have opened as the city has reclaimed its walking center.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}