The U.S. Civil War is considered one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the United States. While every war the United States has fought since gaining independence has altered the American national identity for better or worse, perhaps none so much as the Civil War. This war tore the nation apart, with free, federalist states in the North pitted against anti-federalist, slave states in the South. The Civil War’s outcome preserved the political unity of the United States through the present day although it came at a high price – with more than 50 battles fought throughout the war, it had the highest amount of casualties.
The Civil War not only altered the trajectory of the country, but it also directly impacted a larger share of the population than any other American war before or since. According to the National Park Service, as many as 3.9 million enlisted during the conflict – or more than one in every 10 Americans.
24/7 Wall St. identified the states where the most Americans enlisted during the Civil War by using data from A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Civil War statistician Frederick H. Dyer, first published in 1908, as well as The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database maintained by the National Park Service. In our analysis, we also included Washington, D.C., and Western territories that were not yet states.
Secessionist Confederate states in the South were outgunned by pro-Union states and territories throughout the war. With limited industrial means and a suffering economy, they were also outmanned. With a larger population that covered a larger expanse of the country, Union enlistment totaled about 2.7 million. Estimates of Confederate enlistment, meanwhile, range from 750,000 to 1.2 million. Of the five states that enlisted the most troops during the conflict, four were on the side of the Union. (Here is a look at the 20 greatest armies of the Civil War.)
Northern states suffered greater casualties than the South over the course of the war. Although the Union ultimately prevailed, an estimated 642,000 Union troops were killed, compared to 483,000 Confederate soldiers. It is important to note, however, that as a proportion of all enlisted troops, a larger share of Confederates died. (Here is a look at the states with the highest Civil War death toll.)
Here is every state’s troop count during the Civil War.
See below for our detailed methodology.
42. Dakota Territory
- Est. number of troops from Dakota Territory: 206
- Est. number of Dakota Territory troops killed: 6 (2.9%)
- No. of major battles in Dakota Territory: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Dakota Territory fought on: Union
41. Washington Territory
- Est. number of troops from Washington Territory: 964
- Est. number of Washington Territory troops killed: 22 (2.3%)
- No. of major battles in Washington Territory: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Washington Territory fought on: Union
40. Nevada
- Est. number of troops from Nevada: 1,080
- Est. number of Nevada troops killed: 33 (3.1%)
- No. of major battles in Nevada: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Nevada fought on: Union
39. Oregon
- Est. number of troops from Oregon: 1,810
- Est. number of Oregon troops killed: 45 (2.5%)
- No. of major battles in Oregon: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Oregon fought on: Union
38. Nebraska
- Est. number of troops from Nebraska: 3,157
- Est. number of Nebraska troops killed: 239 (7.6%)
- No. of major battles in Nebraska: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Nebraska fought on: Union
37. Colorado
- Est. number of troops from Colorado: 4,903
- Est. number of Colorado troops killed: 323 (6.6%)
- No. of major battles in Colorado: 1
- Side of the war most troops from Colorado fought on: Union
36. New Mexico
- Est. number of troops from New Mexico: 6,561
- Est. number of New Mexico troops killed: 277 (4.2%)
- No. of major battles in New Mexico: 2
- Side of the war most troops from New Mexico fought on: Union
35. Delaware
- Est. number of troops from Delaware: 12,284
- Est. number of Delaware troops killed: 882 (7.2%)
- No. of major battles in Delaware: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Delaware fought on: Union
34. California
- Est. number of troops from California: 15,725
- Est. number of California troops killed: 573 (3.6%)
- No. of major battles in California: 0
- Side of the war most troops from California fought on: Union
33. District of Columbia
- Est. number of troops from District of Columbia: 16,534
- Est. number of District of Columbia troops killed: 290 (1.8%)
- No. of major battles in District of Columbia: 1
- Side of the war most troops from District of Columbia fought on: Union
32. Kansas
- Est. number of troops from Kansas: 20,149
- Est. number of Kansas troops killed: 2,630 (13.1%)
- No. of major battles in Kansas: 4
- Side of the war most troops from Kansas fought on: Union
31. Rhode Island
- Est. number of troops from Rhode Island: 23,236
- Est. number of Rhode Island troops killed: 1,321 (5.7%)
- No. of major battles in Rhode Island: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Rhode Island fought on: Union
30. Minnesota
- Est. number of troops from Minnesota: 24,020
- Est. number of Minnesota troops killed: 2,584 (10.8%)
- No. of major battles in Minnesota: 2
- Side of the war most troops from Minnesota fought on: Union
29. West Virginia
- Est. number of troops from West Virginia: 32,068
- Est. number of West Virginia troops killed: 4,017 (12.5%)
- No. of major battles in West Virginia: 15
- Side of the war most troops from West Virginia fought on: Union
28. Vermont
- Est. number of troops from Vermont: 33,288
- Est. number of Vermont troops killed: 5,224 (15.7%)
- No. of major battles in Vermont: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Vermont fought on: Union
27. New Hampshire
- Est. number of troops from New Hampshire: 33,937
- Est. number of New Hampshire troops killed: 4,882 (14.4%)
- No. of major battles in New Hampshire: 0
- Side of the war most troops from New Hampshire fought on: Union
26. Florida
- Est. number of troops from Florida: 37,273
- Est. number of Florida troops killed: About 1,000 (2.7%)
- No. of major battles in Florida: 6
- Side of the war most troops from Florida fought on: Confederate
25. Maryland
- Est. number of troops from Maryland: 46,638
- Est. number of Maryland troops killed: 2,982 (6.4%)
- No. of major battles in Maryland: 7
- Side of the war most troops from Maryland fought on: Union
24. Connecticut
- Est. number of troops from Connecticut: 55,864
- Est. number of Connecticut troops killed: 5,354 (9.6%)
- No. of major battles in Connecticut: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Connecticut fought on: Union
23. Maine
- Est. number of troops from Maine: 70,107
- Est. number of Maine troops killed: 9,398 (13.4%)
- No. of major battles in Maine: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Maine fought on: Union
22. Kentucky
- Est. number of troops from Kentucky: 75,760
- Est. number of Kentucky troops killed: 10,774 (14.2%)
- No. of major battles in Kentucky: 11
- Side of the war most troops from Kentucky fought on: Union
21. Iowa
- Est. number of troops from Iowa: 76,242
- Est. number of Iowa troops killed: 13,001 (17.1%)
- No. of major battles in Iowa: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Iowa fought on: Union
20. New Jersey
- Est. number of troops from New Jersey: 76,814
- Est. number of New Jersey troops killed: 5,754 (7.5%)
- No. of major battles in New Jersey: 0
- Side of the war most troops from New Jersey fought on: Union
19. Michigan
- Est. number of troops from Michigan: 87,364
- Est. number of Michigan troops killed: 14,753 (16.9%)
- No. of major battles in Michigan: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Michigan fought on: Union
18. Wisconsin
- Est. number of troops from Wisconsin: 91,327
- Est. number of Wisconsin troops killed: 12,301 (13.5%)
- No. of major battles in Wisconsin: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Wisconsin fought on: Union
17. Missouri
- Est. number of troops from Missouri: 109,111
- Est. number of Missouri troops killed: 13,885 (12.7%)
- No. of major battles in Missouri: 29
- Side of the war most troops from Missouri fought on: Union
16. Arkansas
- Est. number of troops from Arkansas: 120,567
- Est. number of Arkansas troops killed: About 7,500 (6.2%)
- No. of major battles in Arkansas: 17
- Side of the war most troops from Arkansas fought on: Confederate
15. South Carolina
- Est. number of troops from South Carolina: 133,226
- Est. number of South Carolina troops killed: About 18,000 (13.5%)
- No. of major battles in South Carolina: 11
- Side of the war most troops from South Carolina fought on: Confederate
14. Louisiana
- Est. number of troops from Louisiana: 141,580
- Est. number of Louisiana troops killed: About 3,500 (2.5%)
- No. of major battles in Louisiana: 23
- Side of the war most troops from Louisiana fought on: Confederate
13. Massachusetts
- Est. number of troops from Massachusetts: 146,730
- Est. number of Massachusetts troops killed: 1,342 (0.9%)
- No. of major battles in Massachusetts: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Massachusetts fought on: Union
12. Texas
- Est. number of troops from Texas: 162,620
- Est. number of Texas troops killed: About 2,500 (1.5%)
- No. of major battles in Texas: 5
- Side of the war most troops from Texas fought on: Confederate
11. Mississippi
- Est. number of troops from Mississippi: 174,436
- Est. number of Mississippi troops killed: About 8,500 (4.9%)
- No. of major battles in Mississippi: 16
- Side of the war most troops from Mississippi fought on: Confederate
10. Indiana
- Est. number of troops from Indiana: 196,363
- Est. number of Indiana troops killed: 26,672 (13.6%)
- No. of major battles in Indiana: 1
- Side of the war most troops from Indiana fought on: Union
9. Alabama
- Est. number of troops from Alabama: 199,375
- Est. number of Alabama troops killed: About 27,500 (13.8%)
- No. of major battles in Alabama: 7
- Side of the war most troops from Alabama fought on: Confederate
8. North Carolina
- Est. number of troops from North Carolina: 202,009
- Est. number of North Carolina troops killed: About 30,500 (15.1%)
- No. of major battles in North Carolina: 20
- Side of the war most troops from North Carolina fought on: Confederate
7. Georgia
- Est. number of troops from Georgia: 244,142
- Est. number of Georgia troops killed: About 7,000 (2.9%)
- No. of major battles in Georgia: 28
- Side of the war most troops from Georgia fought on: Confederate
6. Tennessee
- Est. number of troops from Tennessee: 249,136
- Est. number of Tennessee troops killed: 8,777 (3.5%)
- No. of major battles in Tennessee: 38
- Side of the war most troops from Tennessee fought on: Confederate
5. Illinois
- Est. number of troops from Illinois: 259,092
- Est. number of Illinois troops killed: 34,834 (13.4%)
- No. of major battles in Illinois: 0
- Side of the war most troops from Illinois fought on: Union
4. Virginia
- Est. number of troops from Virginia: 282,432
- Est. number of Virginia troops killed: About 30,500 (10.8%)
- No. of major battles in Virginia: 123
- Side of the war most troops from Virginia fought on: Confederate
3. Ohio
- Est. number of troops from Ohio: 313,180
- Est. number of Ohio troops killed: 35,475 (11.3%)
- No. of major battles in Ohio: 2
- Side of the war most troops from Ohio fought on: Union
2. Pennsylvania
- Est. number of troops from Pennsylvania: 337,936
- Est. number of Pennsylvania troops killed: 33,183 (9.8%)
- No. of major battles in Pennsylvania: 2
- Side of the war most troops from Pennsylvania fought on: Union
1. New York
- Est. number of troops from New York: 448,850
- Est. number of New York troops killed: 46,534 (10.4%)
- No. of major battles in New York: 0
- Side of the war most troops from New York fought on: Union
Methodology
To identify the states that sent the most troops to fight in the Civil War, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a range of government and historical sources. For most states, total troop counts and deaths came from A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Civil War statistician Frederick H. Dyer, first published in 1908.
In states with missing data, troop count estimates came from The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database maintained by the National Park Service and estimated deaths came from the American Battlefield Trust, a battlefield preservation and educational organization. States with incomplete records were concentrated in the South, as many records were destroyed after the war.
To determine the side of the war most troops from each state or territory fought on, we used enlistment totals from the Soldiers and Sailors Database.
It is important to note that the figures in this story are estimates only. In many cases, marines, sailors, and Black troops were not counted in the totals. Additionally, some soldiers were double or triple-counted if they reenlisted more than once. Some soldiers who enlisted in a state other than their own may have been claimed by two states. Home states were also not noted for many who enlisted.
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