Editing Richmond County, North Carolina (section)

=== Civil War and Reconstruction era ===
[[File:Old Greatfall Mill, built in 1869, Rockingham, N. C. (5812053580).jpg|thumb|left|The Great Falls Cotton Mill was built in 1869.]]
During the [[American Civil War]], Richmond County had troops serve in various units of the [[Confederate States Army]], including the Pee Dee Guards, Scotch Boys, and the Harrington Light Artillery.{{sfn|Sharpe|1953|pp=5, 22}} Federal troops under General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] entered Richmond County in March 1865. Confederate troops fled, and the federal forces sabotaged local industry before moving north.<ref name= Ruffin>{{cite news| last = Ruffin| first = Jane| title = Tragedy in Hamlet : End of the Line: Dreams of Better Days| newspaper = The News & Observer| pages = 1A, 6A–8A| edition = final| date = December 9, 1991| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115037681/end-of-the-line-tragedy-in-hamlet/}}</ref><ref name= whitlock>{{cite news| last = Whitlock| first = P. C.| title = Historical Sketch of the County of Richmond| newspaper = The Charlotte Observer| page = 21| date = September 7, 1924| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115311771/historical-sketch-of-the-county-of/}}</ref> The Richmond Manufacturing Company mill, having been burned, was rebuilt as the Great Falls Mill in 1869. That year rail service was extended to Rockingham. A second cotton mill was built in 1876 and rapidly followed by more textile plants.{{sfn|Sharpe|1953|pp=5, 22}} Cotton production increased after the war and remained a significant crop in the county until the mid-1900s.{{sfn|Sykes|2010|p=8}} Farmers also began diversifying their crops, with tobacco and peach trees growing in popularity, with peach orchards being concentrated in the [[Sandhills (Carolina)|Sandhills]].{{sfn|Sharpe|1953|p=22}}

By the late 1800s, Richmond County had a majority black population and tended to support the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in elections, while the state of North Carolina was dominated by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. In response to this, white Democrats built up a political base in [[Laurinburg, North Carolina|Laurinburg]].<ref name="elder">{{cite news| last = Elder| first = Renee| title = Black residents in a small NC town say their community is neglected. What happens now?| newspaper = Border Belt Independent| date = August 13, 2021| url = https://borderbelt.org/black-residents-in-a-small-nc-town-say-their-community-is-neglected-what-happens-now/| access-date = July 21, 2022}}</ref>  During the state legislative elections of 1898, Democrats organized intensely in the area to unseat the [[Fusionism in North Carolina|Fusionist coalition]] of [[North Carolina Republican Party|state Republicans]] and [[People's Party (United States)|Populists]], including the deployment of paramilitary [[Red Shirts (United States)|Red Shirts]] in Laurinburg to intimidate blacks and other opponents at the polls.{{sfn|Covington|Ellis|1999|p=3}} Democrats regained a majority in the General Assembly. In tribute to the efforts of Democrats in Laurinburg, on February 20, 1899, the assembly split off the town and the surrounding area from Richmond County and created the new [[Scotland County, North Carolina|Scotland County]],{{sfn|Covington|Ellis|1999|p=4}}{{sfn|Stewart|Stewart|2001|p=8}} which began operating as an effective unit of government in December the following year.{{sfn|Marks|2021|p=57}}