Dear Sister

     Yours of the 8th & K's interesting letter of the 5th came to hand to day & yesterday. I rec^d Bro's letter with duplicate check for $30 some days since. This October seems truly to be a month of weddings in that section. I expected M Sterett's would surprise you, It did me somewhat though I was partially prepared for it. It is natural that you should feel an interest, knowing the relation once existing between us. But I hope any unpleasant feeling the surprise may have occasioned will be removed by my telling you that I was relieved to hear it. It becomes me to say as little as possible about it, as it does you to keep secret what I do say. I would have remained silent altogether, but for the satisfaction of yourself & others who may feel a natural concern, I will tell you briefly how it comes that I can feel so indifferent to an affair which would be expected to depress. I suppose the chief reason why I do not feel that concern to be expected, lies in the fact of my never having been able to get my own consent, & when the time arrived when I should have given obtained this, without reserve (I mean when there was no other obstacle) I found much opposition in myself. Very soon after leaving home the thought of being engaged & not being willing to fulfill, began to trouble me, but I would shake it off, imagine my love real & that these were the natural effects of absence, which it was my duty to guard against, & remain true. When I was captured the second time, I found I had become quite indifferent & my first letter should have been a request to be released from the engagement. But it was not, for I kept it to myself trusting that events might so shape themselves as to make me appear true to my pledges without requiring a fulfillment. And so I think they have. On receiving your letter last summer which stated that she had a beau who was popular with the most influential parties I felt it my duty to remove every restraint I might be throwing over her. I accordingly wrote a letter pointing to my situation as not justifying me in expecting her to regard the promises she had given me, & desiring her to act for the promotion of her happiness & welfare, regardless of me. This letter either failed to reach her or was ignored in subsequent letters. I read a letter a short time since requesting me to release her from the engagement, which I did &c. Dick [i.e., Pvt. Richard Hawes, Co. E, 10th Kentucky Cavalry] & myself both quite well. Will write again soon, but not of the same matter.

Affly
RW Taylor
Co E 10 Ky