Thanks MOFed,
I don't doubt the percentages listed for these states. (doesn't the percentage rates include those men of color who were free at the time of enlistment--not owned by anyone prior to, say 1860?)When researching those soldiers who settled in southern Illinois after the war was over, I found that none of them had belonged to a Loyal slaveowner prior to his enlistment. For instance, the Lyon family of KY had a number of slaves/soldiers who settled here. (the Confederate "Lyons", not the one who was Union). They all enlisted in the 8th U.S.C.H.A, and were owned previously by Confederates. As were the Orrington's of Graves Co., KY and the Tinsley's of the same county.

Those slaves who were owned by Loyal Unionist men from the same counties did not enlist. One would think that if there were a $300 (think that is the amount) per head enlistment for slaves of Union men, that some would have taken the money. Several families released their slaves prior to when they actually had to free them, but the slaves remained in KY (or where they were from) and didn't enlist.

There were two from your neck of the woods who were in the 8th also. Gilbert Martin and his brother. They were runaways from Confederate owners (their mother was a slave of a man named Leeper, she used the Leeper surname). When the war was over, they went back and got her and moved her to Illinois with them.

Maybe it's just the particular geographical area that I am researching. Although, the ones who came here after 1865 from TN and were veterans, were the same (previously owned by Southern sympathizers).
Ann