It is next to impossible to tell what county a man was from who joined the 1st Alabama Cav. (Union), which was easily the number one Union unit recipient of white men from Alabama. Only about 50% of the men of this unit have in their records where they were residents or where they enlisted. To further confuse the issue, where they enlisted was not necessarily where they lived. The record shows numerous examples of this. The following is from a recruiting handbill for the 1st:

"Loyal Union men of good moral habits - farmers and farmer's sons - are now joining THE FIRST ALABAMA UNION CAVALRY, UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS. Our flag is THE OLD FLAG. Our country is in peril and needs men of valour to fight for Freedom and Uncle Abe.

Muster rolls are open at secret sites in Winston, Franklin, Marion, Blount, Morgan, Randolph, Walker, Jefferson, St. Clair, Lawrence, Fayette, DeKalb and Jackson counties."

Men of other counties found their way, by a system much like the underground railroad, to the secret sites in other counties. So, where they enlisted did not reflect their county of residence, in many cases. There are enough records of men showing both residence and enlistment site, which differ, to show that this was often the case.

I can confirm twelve men from Pickens County in this regiment, none of whom enlisted in Pickens County. I have nineteen others who were probably from Pickens County, but that I cannot confirm due to lack of information in the records. I have confirmed seven other Picken Countians in Union units other than the 1st Ala. Cav. I write all that, just to further illustrate that it would be difficult (impossible, in my opinion) to back up any claims of "most" for any particular county.

And, to throw another monkey wrench into any attempts to claim a "most" for any certain county, it is impossible to tell how many Alabamians of African-Descent joined the Union Army, and what their home counties were. Most of those who were from Alabama joined (or were impressed) in North Alabama or at the refugee contraband camp at Corinth, Miss.