THE history of this regiment is a peculiar one. Its birth was almost shrouded in mystery; its infancy and early life a continued struggle for existence. For many months its growth was so slow and precarious as to raise grave doubts whether it would ever attain the dignity of a regimental organization.

      Its recruiting was authorized by the government July 2, 1863, and August 3, 1863, Gov. Frederick HOLBROOK directed that it be raised. The intention was to put into the field a regiment of veterans. Gettysburg had just been fought and won. The Second Vermont Brigade, composed of nine months men, having there won glory and renown and made an enviable record, had recently been mustered out, and it was expected that many of these men, flushed with their great victory and justly proud of the record made, would be eager to enlist in the new regiment. This did not prove to be the case, and recruiting was slow indeed.

      October 17, 1863, President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 men to fill up the regiments then in the field. It was just at that time that Gov. J. Gregory SMITH came into office, and with the push, energy and persistency which characterized him in whatever he undertook, with eager patriotism and possibly with the pardonable pride of wishing to put a regiment into the field, he succeeded in getting the orders relating to recruits so modified as to allow them to be put into the regiment then being raised. Nearly every town in the State contributed to its ranks. So cosmopolitan was it that it would be difficult to name a locality from which any one company originated.

      The following statement, giving the names of the Captains will be of some assistance perhaps:
 

      February 10, 1864, a commission as Colonel was issued to Francis V. RANDALL, who had seen service as Captain in the Second Vermont regiment and had distinguished himself as Colonel of the Thirteenth Vermont at Gettysburg, but he could not be mustered until the ten companies of his regiment were organized and did not join the regiment at the front until October 27, and never had the opportunity of leading into battle the regiment he had worked so long to recruit.

      The first detachment, a battalion of seven companies, left Burlington April 18, 1864, under Lieut.-Col. Charles CUMMINGS, who had served with credit in the same rank in the Sixteenth regiment. The organization was further perfected by the appointment of William B. REYNOLDS, a captain of the Sixth Vermont as Major, James S. PECK, late adjutant of the Thirteenth Vermont as Adjutant, Buel J. DERBY, late of the Twelfth Vermont as Quartermaster, P. O'Meara EDSON, assistant surgeon of the Vermont Cavalry as Surgeon. No Chaplain was appointed, a fact which caused much conjecture. The regiment was fortunate in its officers, field, staff and line. They were men of tried bravery and discretion--brave, not rash-careful of their men, but sparing not when blows were needed. No regiment ever had a more capable, earnest and faithful surgeon than Dr. EDSON. Made up as it was, the battalion had had no opportunity for drill and but little for discipline. 

      Its third attempt at battalion drill was on the bloody field of the Wilderness to the sound of the enemy's guns. It reached Alexandria, Virginia, April 22, and three days later was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Corps. The brigade consisted of the Sixth, Ninth and Eleventh New Hampshire regiments, with the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Maine regiments and was commanded by Col. Simon G. GRIFFIN of the Sixth New Hampshire. The division by Gen. R. B. POTTER and the corps by General BURNSIDE.

      The regiment began at once its active service, going almost directly from its rendezvous to the field of battle.  April 27, it marched with the brigade for Bristoe Station, stopping for the night near Fairfax Court House; on May 4, to Bealeton Station; on the 5th, crossed the Rappahannock at Rappahannock Station, and on the same day the Rapidan at Germanna Ford. The measles were breaking out in the regiment, which, with the hard marching new to most of the men, so reduced their numbers that only about 400 halted at night on the battlefield of the Wilderness near the Sixth Corps. Ignorant of the extent of the carnage of the first day's fight, as well as of what the morrow held in store, tired, foot-sore, exhausted, they threw themselves on the ground for rest and sleep. Soon after midnight they were awakened, and at 2 A. M. were off, leading the advance of the corps along the Germanna Plank Road, thence to the center of the Union lines, where the division was placed in readiness for a general assault to be made at dawn. The corps failed to get into position for the assault at the time fixed, though GRIFFIN's brigade was in line of battle at sunrise, the Seventeenth having the right of the line, and advanced through woods and open fields until the skirmishers struck the enemy's line and were driven back to the woods. About 9 A. M., the Seventeenth advanced through the pine undergrowth, at times crawling on hands and knees, drove the enemy's line from behind a rail fence and occupied its position. This it held during the forenoon, although disconnected and without support on the right, and until after the regiment on its left had gone back.

      Here, alone and exposed, it repulsed an attack upon both flanks, holding its position until noon. Several were wounded here, among them Captain BROWN of company A, who lost an arm. About noon the brigade moved some distance to the left. A little later, the regiment being on the right of the division line formed in the rear of HANCOCK's Corps which were holding the line without attempting to advance, was exposed to a sharp musketry fire, when Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS received a scalp wound and was taken to the rear, and the command devolved on Major REYNOLDS.  Captain KENFIELD of company C and Lieutenant MARTIN of company E were wounded at this time. About 2 P. M., GRIFFIN's brigade was ordered to attack the enemy occupying some log breastworks in the wood beyond a swampy ravine. It moved out rapidly and passing over troops lying in front, charged and drove back the enemy's line. Two hundred prisoners, some of them officers, were taken by the brigade in this advance. The enemy attacked the brigade with re-enforcements and it fell back to near its former position, which it held during the remainder of the day and night, throwing up breastworks, and until withdrawn later, without being again actively engaged.
 
 

      In this, its first battle, the regiment gave undoubted evidence of the possession of the same high qualities of courage, daring, coolness and persistency which had made the First Vermont Brigade so famous throughout the entire army, and had won so proud a name for the Second Brigade at Gettysburg. The official report says: "No colors were advanced beyond those of the Seventeenth in this charge." It is sufficient praise to say that the regiment did its full share of the brigade's fighting, and that its men acquitted themselves on that field in all respects like Vermont veterans. Its losses, ten killed, sixty-four wounded, ten of them mortally, and six missing, a total of eighty out of 313 men, much greater than those of any other regiment in the brigade, show the work to which it was put. On May 10 the regiment moved with the corps towards Spottsylvania Court House, crossing and re-crossing the Ny River. On the 11th, it took up position before the enemy's entrenchments north of the Court House. For three days some of the other corps had been engaged in severe fighting here without definite result or advantage. The space allotted to this sketch will not permit details of each engagement in whichthe regiment took part; yet it may truthfully be said that in the bloody work of this most unsatisfactory battle, to everycall made upon it, whether to hold a position of great danger, to advance in skirmish line or in line of battle, to charge the enemy in open field or behind entrenchments, to repel a charge, to support an assaulting line or column, to silence a troublesome battery, to change position in open field under severe fire, or to check the retreat of a repulsed line, it gallantly and promptly responded, and by its soldierly conduct  increased the admiration of its officers and the confidence of its associates. To all this the official reports bear testimony. The regiment's loss here was twelve killed, fifty-eight wounded and two missing, a total of seventy-two out of about 250. Captain KNAPP of company F, Lieutenants GILMORE of company A and KINGSBURY of company F were of the wounded.

      The movement from the vicinity of Spottsylvania Court House to the North Anna began by the brigade on the evening of May 20; on the 23d, Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS resumed command; on the 24th, the regiment, with the brigade, crossed the North Anna and began at once to entrench the position, and were under fire on the 25th and 26th. On the 26th the river was re-crossed and the regiment marched easterly, then southerly until the night of the 28th, when it crossed the Pamunkey at Dabney's Ferry, near Hanover Town. On the 30th it advanced almost to Totopotomoy Creek, and on the afternoon of the next day advanced with the brigade, driving the enemy in front from their works and sending them some distance on the run, its loss being one killed and four mortally wounded. This position was occupied for two days, when the corps was withdrawn towards Cold Harbor. While this was in progress its rear was attacked by a strong force and was in great peril until the divisions of POTTER and WILCOX got into position near Bethesda Church and held the enemy in check. Late in the afternoon the division was attacked in the rear, but the attack was met and warded off by GRIFFIN's brigade chiefly. The next day, June 3, GRIFFIN's brigade had the right of the corps and held the extreme right of the army near Bethesda Church, and took no active part in the general assault of the morning.  In the afternoon, in a movement of GRIFFIN's brigade to support the First Brigade in an assault on the enemy's works, the regiment was on the extreme right and came into open field at right angles with the brigade line and fully exposed to the sharp enfilading fire of the enemy's skirmishers. A part of the regiment was detached and sent to the right to assist our skirmishers and the annoying fire was soon silenced. In front of the line was found a strong rifle pit filled with the enemy, and a masked battery. The brigade, not receiving the support expected on the right, withdrew, keeping up, meanwhile, a rapid fire. The loss of the regiment was one killed, seventeen wounded--five mortally; of these were Captain DAVIS of company B and Lieutenant GIBSON of company D. On the 7th and 8th the regiment participated in the fighting and had two menmortally wounded. Under date of June 8, Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS in his official report says: "During the last 15 days we have been under fire every day but 3, and 2 of these days we were on the march."

      June 8 company H, Captain COREY, with fifty-seven men reported to the regiment, increasing its numbers to 235 muskets. On the 9th the corps was moved to a position near Cold Harbor, and here the regiment remained on the front line, constantly under the fire of the pickets and sharp-shooters of the enemy, until the general move to Petersburg. After dark on the night of the 12th, the corps was withdrawn from its position and moved towards the James, which it reached, after a march of 48 hours, on the night of the 14th, with but four or five hours for rest and sleep. Here the regiment halted for 24 hours, waiting for the bridge to be laid and the wagon trains to come up, as rations had run short. 

     At 9 P. M. of the 15th, the regiment once more took up the line of march, crossed the James some distance below Charles City, and pushed on toward Petersburg, making that night the most severe march of its entire service, over roads of deep sand and on short rations. So telling had been the pace kept up through the night that when the halt was ordered for breakfast, not a company of the regiment had more than eight men in line to stack arms, and some only four. A short rest and the march was resumed, and about noon, having covered 22 miles, marching the last few hours to the booming of guns, the regiment was in front of Petersburg. No time for rest here, for before night, the regiment having changed position several times, was in line of battle with the brigade to support a portion of the Second Corps about to make an assault on the enemy's entrenchments. The line advanced gallantly across the open field, and although fully exposed to the fire of the enemy's batteries, the regiment suffered no loss. That charge was only partially successful, resulting in the capture of two redans, so arrangements were made for GRIFFIN to assault at daylight, with his and CURTIN's brigade of the same division. The night was intensely dark and was wholly spent in getting the troops into position for the proposed assault, now crawling over felled timber and through underbrush, then moving a little this way and that,all through the night maintaining the deepest silence, but without sleep or rest. At the first sign of coming day orders were whispered along the line and the men spring to their feet, not a shot is to be fired, the bayonet the sole reliance, and rush forward up the hill, carrying the enemy's skirmish line before them, and are at and over the breastworks before the half awakened enemy is aware whether it is friend or foe that call with so little warning.

      The charge was successful and resulted in sweeping the line of the enemy for a mile or more and in the capture of 600 prisoners, 1,500 stands of arms, a stand of colors, four pieces of artillery, caissons and horses. The colors, two of the guns and many of the prisoners were taken by the Seventeenth. A peculiar coincidence of the affair was that on June 17, the Seventeenth Vermont captured the colors, Adjutant and about 70 men of the Seventeenth Tennessee. The regiment lost six killed and twenty wounded, seven fatally, going into the charge with 135 men. Lieutenant GUYER of company C was one of the killed. The regiment advanced its lines on the 18th and 19th having four men wounded on the skirmish line on the 18th, two mortally, and on the 19th, in the trenches, three killed and two wounded, one of whom died. From that time until July 29 it occupied the advance line which it could only approach by a covered way, close up to the enemy's works and constantly exposed to his fire. The loss during that period in killed and wounded was about one each day. This was the most severe and trying time of its service. Some evidence of its exhausting nature is furnished by the fact that from June 25 to July 21 the number for duty was reduced from 250 to 150, by the loss above stated, by the wearing effect of the strain of being constantly under fire, with some sickness, in spite of the return of many who had been sick or wounded earlier in the season.