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eligible males from Hancock and Marion counties, 367 enlisted, or 39.4%. While it is true that the desertion rate for those counties was higher than for the state as a whole (24.7% vs. 14%), almost one in five who served from the lower Pearl region died in the war. By the end of war, 43.7% of Marion and Hancock soldiers were still with their units.
A reader may have difficulty with the lack of continuity of events and communications. This of course is partly due to the fact that not all letters survived, and of those that did, not all are legible. Even though some events and comments may appear disjointed, their telling may still prove fruitful to readers.
In a similar vein, the repeated mentions of dates may prove annoying to some. This is recognized by this writer, but such detail might be of interest or value to any who would choose to make an in-depth study of the letters in the future.
Another subject for which I make no apology is the persona of J. F. H. Claiborne. Mentions of this man are many in the Koch letters, and their relationship was undeniably complicated. While Claiborne is not the main character in this narrative, the reader is entitled to know more about him. For this reason, a lengthy description appears in the appendix.
Finally, much thanks is owed to the Koch family as they exist today. They have been most gracious in welcoming me to one of their annual reunions, and allowing me to accompany them to several of the historical sites important to their ancestors.
In addition, gratitude is expressed to Hill Memorial Library of Louisiana State University for their protection of the Koch papers, and for making it possible for me to have spent many hours in the perusal of those documents.
Russell B. Guerin