What explains redistribution after war? Most existing research focuses on nationwide perceptions of fairness to the wartime effort or post-war democratization processes. In contrast to these works, we offer a new, subnational mechanism focusing on wartime experiences. During some interstate and civil wars, combatants may collaborate with marginalized groups and build institutions that favor them during war. In places where marginalized groups experienced wartime combatant collaboration and favorable institution-building, redistribution was more likely in the post-war period, even under highly contentious circumstances. We focus on the case of contraband camps during the U.S. Civil War and test our arguments using new full-count census data from a forty-year period supplemented with archival data. Results strongly support expectations and contribute to research on economic inequality, war, and post-conflict reconstruction.