The Seventeenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers was organized in an hour of national gloom and disaster: from the commission of its colonel to its departure for the front no bright sky rifted the war cloud; yet the youth who filled its ranks, and the people of the county who backed them, neither quailed nor quaked.

The Seventeenth was the first localized regiment of the State. It was from the start known as the Fairfield County Regiment. With few exceptions, its ranks were filled by her sons. The people of the county made it their pride and the outlet of their affection and patriotic effort.

Our War-Governor, Buckingham, at first doubted whether Fairfield County alone could put a regiment into the field as rapidly as the greed for troops at the front demanded. It was a most trying hour. The soul of the North, unflinching before disheartening reverses, aroused to mightier effort.

The leading men of the county, who had asked for appointment of Col. Noble, and that the regiment might be made up of her sons, quieted the Governors doubts: they at once turned all their energies to fill its ranks at the earliest moment. Towns and individuals devoted to this their time and resources. Their liberality and energy kept full abreast of their faith in the cause of the Union.

On July 23, 1862, William H. Noble, of Bridgeport, was commissioned as Colonel of the Seventeenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. In less than thirty days therefrom, the regiment could have marched a thousand men to the front.

Their camp was on that lovely ground now forming the larger part of the Bridgeport Seaside Park. Not a more healthful or readily reached ground could have been found. Sea-bathing, fresh breezes, easy access from every point, vicinity, and town, and the railroad whose lines stretched through the county and state - all made its choice a wise forethought. Its charming position, thus so widely made known, doubtless won its choice for a park.

Aug. 28, 1862, the regiment was mustered into the United States service. On September 3rd following it took rail for the front. A short time previous, Maj.-Gen. Franz Sigel, through Capt. Lyon, one of his staff, had asked consent of the regiment to join his Eleventh Corps. He was eager to swell his force, which was then without a Connecticut regiment. The officers of the Seventeenth gave their unanimous consent to be so assigned. When it broke camp at Seaside Park the members of the whole regiment felt, in the words of the refrain, that they should soon "fight mit Sigel."

The date of the departure had been made known to the homes of the county; friends and kindred of the regiment turned out a vast throng of anxious hearts and patriotic sympathy to say farewell. Outside of Bridgeport, whose citizens crowded en masse, there came thousands by rail and country road to bid adieu to brothers, fathers, and friends; there were many sad and many cheerful partings. As a whole, the soldiers were elated and hopeful. Youth, pride in such a service, and the novel duties and scenes in which they were soon to act gave the "enchantment of distance" to a life filled with hard- ship, danger, and death

The regiment moved (except from New York to Amboy) from Bridgeport to Baltimore by rail, with orders to report to Gen. Wool, there commanding. It arrived in Baltimore on the next day, September 4th, about dark, and marched to the extensive railroad depot and store-shed of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, of which the colonel took possession for shelter, and refused to move until ordered by Gen. Wool.

On reporting to Gen. Wool late the night of arrival, the colonel was ordered to hold his command in readiness for orders from Washington. In the meantime the Union men of Baltimore, anxious for their city in the face of the disasters beyond, were fearful of sudden raids of the enemy in force. They had looked over this regiment, so conspicuously quartered in the centre of their city, and expressed flattering admiration for its make-up and bearing. They soon hinted and "guessed" that we should not be allowed to go farther, and that they wanted such a regiment there as much as anywhere. They had evidently interviewed Gen. Wool in force or visited Washington. A few days afterwards he sent down orders to the regiment to shift quarters to Fort Marshall, a temporary earthwork on the high ground east of the city, commanding the city, harbor, and surrounding country. It was to act as a reserve and supporting force for a New York artillery regiment, which formed the garrison.

Our position was in every respect irksome and distasteful. The garrison was made up of very different material from the regiment. It had been recruited in New York and Brooklyn, and was led with a very lax rein of discipline. The association was bad. Besides, Col. Belger, the post quartermaster, refused the regiment the shelter which on post and as a reserve to the garrison they had a right to demand. he paid no heed to the re- monstrations of the regimental quartermaster, Lieut. Hayes, or to those of the colonel. Every military man knows that regiments in the field and in active service can see hard- ships and exposures which will sicken and thin out a force in the position of ours at Fort Marshall. Men make light of all sorts of things on forced marches or in action which will tell heavily on them in the quiet camp.

Under this state of things the colonel of the regiment, out of the regular channels of communication, wrote what he intended as a private letter to Gen. Sigel, stating the annoyances suffered and the insulting rebuffs of Col. Belger, reminding him of our original purpose to join his command, and asking his aid to effect that end. It was supposed that in some way without following the lines of red tape and those regular channels, he would find means to cut the tape and get us into the field. Nothing was heard from him or about this matter for a month.

In this state of things, about Oct. 15, 1862, Col. Noble called upon Gen. Wool to lay before him the grievances of the regiment in regard to its own equipage and Col. Belger's neglect of our military rights. He found that venerable officer very irate. He confronted the colonel with the letter to Gen. Sigel, which had just arrived in its travels through the regular channels, with due and ample "respectful reference". Nothing that Col. Noble could say at all cooled the general's wrath. He did not exhibit the letter or its endorsements, one of which doubtless was for the regiment to report at Washington. At any rate, he immediately ordered the colonel to take his regiment by rail to Washington, and leave Baltimore before the next day at noon. This was late at night, and in those days of ample apparel, equipage, and transportation it was not an easy task to load a thousand men and all their belongings early in the morning. The order was filled, however. By eleven o'clock next day everything was on board ready to move to Washington, and before twelve the regiment had moved from the city of Baltimore. But so crowded were the rails by army travel and transportation that the regiment only reached its destination about dusk. On application next morning at headquarters it was ordered to march through the city to Tenallytown and encamp at Fort Kearny, in the defenses of Washington. At this post the regiment was immediately put to work in intrenchments. It expected to have been sent along to Sigel, and did not like the delay. It very likely worked with less will at its task of digging than it would have done except in the face of its disappointment. At any rate, after several reports of its not being good diggers had been made, orders came for the regiment to embark at Georgetown on Nov. 5, 1862, and to proceed by the way of Alexandria and the Manassas Railroad, and to report to Gen. Sigel at Gainesville.

It reached this place on the third evening after its departure from Fort Kearney after dark. It first struck upon Gen. McLean's brigade. That gallant officer at once desired to take it into his command, and seemed very happy over the chance. It was made up of Ohio men, all but one regiment of whom were Americans, the One Hundred and Seventh Ohio of the brigade being mostly German. The Seventeenth now seemed well pleased with its camp and at home; no more grumbling at any lot was heard from the command. But of its hardships in extent and variety the regiment had as large a share as falls to the lot of any command. Soon after we joined his corps Gen. Sigel rode into our camp with his staff, and accompanied by the beautiful wife of Prince Salm-Salm, to thank us for our persistence in joining his command.

The Eleventh Corps was at this time the reserve of the Army of the Potomac. The brigade and division in which the Seventeenth was were guarding Thoroughfare Gap, in the Bull Run Mountains. After a stay at Gainesville of about two weeks, an order came at midnight--as such things usually came--to be ready to move at daylight in the morning. Our march was northward to Hopewell Gap and Antioch Church on the same range. Af- ter some days here, like midnight orders were sent in to move in the morning. Our march that day was from Antioch Church towards Chantilly. Our first night was spent in the splendid winter quarters of the rebel force, and our destination was Chantilly. There, in the midst of wide plains and a very rich and fruitful country, the regiment held its camp with its brigade and corps till orders came again to send to hospital all disabled, to be ready in the morning for march. This was the beginning of our seven days' march as reserve of Burnside's movement on Fredericksburg.

The regiment had by this time become pretty well seasoned to military duty in the field. The knapsacks, stuffed at first with photographs, writing material, and all sorts of home-traps, had wonderfully shrunken. On the previous marches the Ohio boys had shown them some pretty long legs, but on this seven days' march the Seventeenth made them stretch theirs, with interest added. As is known to most, the regiments alternate front and rear every day, the regiment at the front always having the brightest outlook and, somehow or another, marching the easiest; that in the rear seems to drag along with tiresome step, and often lags when at the front they make good time.

At Bacon's Race-Course Church, about two days' march from Falmouth, the terrible cannonade of the conflict of Fredericksburg was distinctly heard, and the next day, at noon, the news of Burnside's repulse was announced to the regiments. The corps, however, kept on to Falmouth, after a night's rest at which place they were ordered back to camp at Stafford Court-House. This was the place where the Seventeenth, which had saved its rations in going down, gave a supper to an Ohio regiment, which had eaten up all its own. This brotherly act was never forgotten by the Ohio boys.

At Stafford Court-House, passed on our march to Falmouth, the regiment arrived back about December 16th and made camp in the woods. It was one of the most picturesque winter-camps that could be imagined. On each side of a street, running up a gentle slope of pine-forest, the regiment built huts, with camp-fires in front. The sight of their cheerful blaze step by step up that ascent was at night cheering and lovely.

About the 20th of February an order came to break camp and march to Belle Plain. This was again in reserve to Burnside's army, on what is known as the mud-march. Our movement was ordered to follow up a contemplated second attack on Fredericksburg, but which purpose the storm and the miry state of the roads thwarted.

At Belle Plain the regiment and division were ordered to occupy the huts of the force which had moved towards Fredericksburg. These were constructed, with great neatness and much ingenious architecture, along brinks and declivities of ravines. But such good quarters were only our lot for a very few days. The return of their former occupants from their unsuccessful move required out evacuation of their quarters. The regiment soon returned to Brooks' Station, near its old camp at Stafford Court-House, and hutted for the winter.

Our regiment was ordered into a forest of oak and beech and all the woods of Virginia. The ground was covered with snow, but axes were plenty, and the regiment soon sheltered itself in fine style. Here the time passed quietly in drill and camp-duties.