Which state had the highest participation rate in the Civil War?

Answer 1

States with larger populations naturally tended to furnish more soldiers. New York provided 448,850 soldiers to the Union, and 46,534 died. Both these are the highest totals of any northern state. Pennsylvania provided 337,936, and 33,183 died; Ohio gave 313,180 and 35,475 died; Illinois gave 259,092 and 34,834 died. As far as the number of soldiers furnished as a percentage of the total state population I do not find any compiled figures, though that mught be the best measure of overall "participation".

In southern states the participation was much more complete. Practically every man of military age in the south was in the Confederate service. North Carolina, for instance, though it was not the most populous state in the south, provided the Confederacy with 125,000 troops, which was more than the number of eligible voters in the state (only white men over 21 could vote). Of those 40,000 Tar Heels died - almost as many dead as new York, which gave more than three times as many troops to the other side. So with a much smaller population and a much smaller number of men in uniform North Carolina was second on the list as far as the number of men dead, north or south. Virginia had a larger population than North Carolina and gave a few thousand more troops to the Confederacy, of which 37,000 died, so Virginia was third as far as mortality.

All in all as far as the military participation by its people probably North Carolina was the most involved. But much of the war was fought in Virginia, and the suffering of civilians and the loss of property destroyed there was tremendous.