July 30 that most important affair, the explosion of the mine under ELLIOTT's Salient occurred. The story of the mine has often been told, but seldom fairly. Great injustice has been done General BURNSIDE in the recitals. The gallant corps that made the fight unaided and alone, losing more than 4000 of its men, deserves better treatment concerning that affair than historians have accorded it. General BURNSIDE had fixed upon his plan of assault, his troops had been drilled with special reference to its execution, and all his arrangements had been made with that in view. On the evening before the assault he is compelled by his superior officers to change his plan in entirety and in detail and sent out to fight single-handed, not his battle, but theirs. It seemed almost the irony of fate, not only that he should have been sent to make the fight contrary to his own better judgment, but that his associates, on the right and left, should have failed to fire even a single gun to attract the enemy's attention while he withdrew his poor broken, bleeding corps, when it became evident to spectator and participant that there was nothing to stay for longer except death. It is some consolation to find that General GRANT, too great and just to be opinionated, admitted in his testimony before the committee on the conduct of the war, that he was then of the opinion that if BURNSIDE had been permitted to carry out his own plan, the assault would probably have been successful, and that meant the capture of Petersburg in July, 1864, instead of April, 1865. General MEADE does not go so far, but he admits that he may have been mistaken. Of the work of the Seventeenth in that affair little need be said, and no member of the regiment need blush for the part he played that day. Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS had been ill for some weeks and unfit for service, and Major REYNOLDS led the regiment, numbering eight officers and 120 men. All that men could do they did, but in vain, and when all was over,

      The loss of the regiment was ten killed, forty six wounded, eighteen missing, total seventy-four. Major REYNOLDS, than whom no braver officer could be found in any regiment, was killed while encouraging his men to beat back the enemy. Of the other officers who were with the regiment, Lieutenants MARTIN of company E, HICKS of company F, BINGHAM of company G and CONVERSE of company H were killed; Captain KENFIELD of company C and Lieutenant PIERCE of company D were captured, leaving only one, Lieutenant NEEDHAM of company H, to come back from the enemy's lines, and he died a week later from wounds received that day. The fragment of a regiment that remained was divided into two battalions under First Sergeants JUDSON and LUCIA of companies A and H respectively, and Adjutant PECK, the only commissioned officer present except the Surgeon, assumed command, although sick. The regiment numbered hardly more than 100 now present and many of these were under the surgeon’s care. It was a sorry time. PECK was soon succeeded in command by Captain KNAPP, who was released from detached service that he might return to his regiment, and he in a short time by Captain EATON, who was also allowed to return and soon after promoted to Major.

      Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS soon after went to Vermont because of his health and Major EATON continued in command.

      August 13, company I, Capt. Daniel CONWAY, with 87 men, joined the regiment. Officers and men began to return to the regiment and September 1 there were 233 present for duty. About the 18th of August the Fifth Corps, occupying the line next on our left was moved to the left to take the Weldon railroad, and our corps moved along to occupy the vacated position. On the 19th POTTER's division, with two other divisions of the corps, went to the support of the Fifth Corps that had been attacked. With this aid the Fifth Corps held its position on the railroad and even gained some ground which was enclosed within the Union entrenchments. Two days later the enemy made a desperate attempt to drive the Fifth Corps from its position on the railroad. POTTER's division took part in the fighting, the regiment was in line, but was not put in and sustained no loss. For a few days the regiment occupied Fort Sedgwick, commonly called Fort Hell, just opposite the rebelFort Mahone, which usually was called Fort Damnation, appropriate names for the two.

      During most of September the duties of the regiment were of a less dangerous nature, strengthening the works on the line to the left of the Jerusalem Plank Road. Late in the month it was proposed to force back the enemy's right and swing our left in towards Petersburg to get possession of certain roads, and perhaps ultimately to reach the Southside railroad. The junction of the roads aimed at was at PEEBLES farm five or six miles south and west of Petersburg. An advance line of Confederate works about a mile in front of this main line guarded the position. The movement was made by General WARREN with two divisions of the Fifth Corps and General PARKE with the Second and Third divisions of the Ninth Corps.  Early in the forenoon, WARREN swung his line around, pushing before it the enemy's skirmishers and his advance line, which fell back reluctantly but without stubborn contest. The divisions of the Ninth Corps being in reserve at the right had to march some distance to reach the position assigned them at the left of the Fifth Corps. Shortly after noon the Seventeenth, with GRIFFIN's brigade, had passed beyond the former line of the Fifth, across the field over which that corps had fought earlier in the day and was well around the left of the Fifth as then deployed, and facing north. Through someone's fault the brigade was sent much too far to the left, and after being partly deployed in some woods, was re-called, moved a mile or more to the right, then to the front passing close by the PEEBLES house, and along the road at the right of the woods. When the line was being formed for the advance, Surgeon EDSON requested Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS to send with him a good man to take charge of the Stretcher Corps, who would see that they did not lag behind. Lieutenant LUCIA, who had returned on the 28th from a few days stay in the hospital at City Point, and was awaiting the arrival of his commission sent out but recently, volunteered for the duty. It is said that on this occasion the Stretcher Corps and stretchers kept on the advance line steadily abreast with the colors, but were not needed. By one of those inexcusable mysteries, blunders really, so common during the war, a portion of the Fifth Corps failed to be in place, leaving a wide gap over low woodland between the right of GRIFFIN's brigade and the left of the Fifth Corps. Through this gap a large force of the enemy made its way to our rear, and while the brigade was pressing the enemy in front it was savagely assaulted in flank and rear, and at the same time in its front. On the discovery of the force in our rear the order had been given to fall back, but its execution was another thing, and in doing so many of the brigade were killed, wounded and captured. It was here that Lieutenant LUCIA, in trying to bring off his little command, lost his left arm. GRIFFIN's brigade having the right of the line, with the Seventeenth its right regiment was driven back in great disorder. The First Brigade shared a similar fate, as also one brigade of the Third Division. POTTER's whole line was forced back more than a mile, losing heavily in prisoners.

      Near the PEGRAM house a final stand was made, the broken and disordered fragments of the Ninth Corps were halted, and with the aid of a division of the Fifth Corps, checked the advance of the enemy about dark and permanently held the line. [note: this would be late 29 SEP] The loss of the regiment was eight killed, three of them officers, forty wounded, two mortally, and twenty-seven missing, nine of whom died in the hands of the enemy, total seventy-five.  Lieutenant-Colonel CUMMINGS fell gallantly encouraging his men, and his last order was, "Look out for the colors." Major EATON, conspicuous there as elsewhere for his coolness, was killed, as was also Lieutenant TOBIN of company I. There was a woody swamp and stream to be crossed in falling back, and here, with the confusion into which the troops had already been thrown by the appearance of the enemy in their rear, they became inextricably mixed. Adjutant PECK on his way out, made several attempts to rally the scattered men around the colors. In this he met with some success, and at one point the temporary line so formed retarded the progress of the advancing enemy long enough to enable a section of a battery to withdraw and save its guns. Captain KNAPP, after making his way out of the swamp and woods with such members of the regiment as he had been able to collect, found Adjutant PECK with the color-guard and colors and assumed command, and reported the regiment as on duty near the PEEBLES house, where it remained that night, [now 30th of SEP] and the next morning was ordered to a position in the new line which had been formed a half mile to the rear and near the PEGRAM house. A day or two later Adjutant PECK, with Captain CONWAY and Lieutenant NORTON, were sent to the hospital, and Captain KNAPP for nearly a month commanded the regiment, having at first but 84 men, Surgeon EDSON being the only other commissioned officer present for duty. October 27, company K, Captain YALE, with 95 men and Colonel RANDALL joined the regiment. The losses of the regiment in killed and wounded up to this time exceeded by nearly one-third the number it took into its first fight.

      October 27 the regiment participated in the movement made by the Second, Fifth and Ninth Corps on the enemy's works at Hatcher’s Run. The burden of the fighting fell to the Second and Fifth Corps, and the regiment sustained no loss. The next day it returned to its position on the line. Sometime in November the corps was moved to the extreme right with its line extending from the river to the left as far as Jerusalem Plank Road. GRIFFIN's brigade had the left of this line, and Colonel RANDALL was placed in command of Fort Davis situated on the brigade's line, with his, the Thirty-first Maine and Fifty-sixth Massachusetts regiments and two batteries, and there all remained until February 11, 1865, when the regiment was moved about a mile to the left where it occupied a position on the advance line until the final breaking up in April. During the winter the regiment took part in frequent skirmishes between pickets, varied with occasional artillery duels between Fort Davis and its neighbors across the field, and lost several men, but was in no pitched battle. In November, Seth W. LANGDON was appointed Assistant Surgeon in place of Dr. SPOHN, resigned. February 27, 1865, Surgeon EDSON resigned and took with him the love and respect of every man in the regiment.