Editing Camden County, Georgia (section)

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
At the beginning of the Civil War, the population was 5,482 of which 1,721 were white. During the war, many of the county's civilians moved farther inland, particularly to Centerville and Trader's Hill on the St. Marys River in Charlton County. The inhabitant's fears were realized when the town of St. Marys was attacked by United States Navy.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} At least one federal party to "carry off" slaves was met by armed resistance on White Oak Creek off the Satilla River.<ref>James Vocelle. ''History of Camden County''. 97.</ref>

Camden County organized four volunteer companies: the Camden Chasseurs, St. Marys Volunteers Guard, Camden Rifles, and Camden County Guards.<ref>The Southern Recorder. April 31, 1861. Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive: Georgia Historic Newspapers http://milledgeville.galileo.usg.edu/milledgeville/view?docId=news/srw1861/srw1861-0065.xml&query=Camden&brand=milledgeville-brand {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016141901/http://milledgeville.galileo.usg.edu/milledgeville/view?docId=news/srw1861/srw1861-0065.xml&query=Camden&brand=milledgeville-brand |date=October 16, 2014 }}</ref>

Camden County land fell under [[Special Field Order No. 15|Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15.]] which dictated the distribution of parcels of land to freedmen. However, by 1868, Camden County's freedmen found themselves dispossessed of land they had lived and worked on since emancipation or earlier. Confiscated lands were returned to former landowners.<ref name=":4" /> During the first years of [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]], Republican candidates and many local blacks were able to gain political victories. The first Democratic victory in the county after the war went to Ray Tompkins. This signaled a return to a white political majority and the end of the Reconstruction Era concurrent with the statewide Democratic victory in 1870.<ref name=":5">Vocelle, James. History of Camden County Georgia.</ref>