It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the services of the staff officers of the regiment, and also to add that the coolness, courage, and firmness of the line officers and enlisted men of the regiment excite my warmest admiration. When it is remembered that the regiment had been but fourteen days in the field, so constantly marching that it had been drilled as a battalion but twice, and that, owing to the prevalence of measles in the regiment, it numbered only 313 muskets on the morning of the battle, I believe I may submit its record without comment.

I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM B. REYNOLDS,

Major, Commanding Regiment.

HDQRS. SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT VERMONT VOLS.,
Near Fredericksburg, Va., May 10, 1864.

P. S.-I embrace this opportunity to add that Lieutenant-Colonel Cummings returned yesterday afternoon to the regiment, although still unable to resume command.

Very respectfully, &c.,

WILLIAM B. REYNOLDS,

Major, Commanding Regiment.

PETER T. WASHBURN,

Adjt. and Insp. General, State of Vermont.

HDQRS. SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT VERMONT VOLS.,
Near Spotsylvania Court-House, Va., May 20, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this regiment since the 10th instant, the date of my previous report:

Our brigade advanced toward Spotsylvania on the 10th instant, and took up a position before the entrenchments of the enemy, which we occupied during the 11th. At 4 a. m. on the 12th I was ordered to advance and attack the enemy, having the Sixth New Hampshire Volunteers, on my right and the Thirty-first Maine Volunteers on my left in line, our brigade being first on the left of the Second Army Corps. The enemy's skirmishers were soon met and driven in about 1 mile upon their main lines. At 5 a. m. we met the enemy in line of battle outside of his entrenchments, and immediately opened fire. The enemy being in a ravine, we were compelled to occupy the crest of the low ridge in his front, distant perhaps 30 rods form his line of battle. Notwithstanding the apparent advantage which the enemy at first held, his position finally proved his ruin, as he was unable either to withdraw into his entrenchments or to drive us from his front. At 7 a. m., having exhausted our ammunition (40 rounds per man), as well as all that could be procured from the dead and wounded, we were relieved by the Forty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers and withdrew about 20 paces, where we remained with fixed bayonets while ammunition was brought forward. During the cessation of fire, while my regiment was being relieved, about 50 of the Twenty-sixth Georgia Volunteers, who had been in our front, availed themselves of the moment and came within our lines as prisoners of war. The few survivors of the regiment made good their escape from the ravine, leaving in our hands a very large