The 17th Tennessee Infantry was mustered into Confederate service on August 15, 1861 at Big Creek, Campbell County, Tennessee. The regiment was placed under the command of Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer, and participated in an engagement at Rock Castle, Kentucky (Camp Wildcat) on October 21, 1861, where it suffered 45 causalities. On January 20, 1862 the regiment was engaged in action at Fishing Creek near Mill Springs, Kentucky. In this battle the regiment suffered 46 casualties and Brigadier General Zollicoffer was killed. The next action the regiment saw was during General Bragg's invasion of Kentucky in 1862. During this campaign the regiment was present at the capture of Munfordville and at the battle of Perryville on Oct. 8, 1862, where it suffered 24 casualties.
The regiment was transferred to General Patrick R. Cleburne's Division during the battle at Murfreesboro on Dec. 31, 1862, where the regiment suffered 246 causalities out of 598 men engaged. Following the Tullahoma campaign, the regiment was heavily engaged at the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19 & 20, 1863, and suffered 130 causalities out of 249 men engaged.
The regiment, no longer part of the Army of Tennessee, served under Lt. General James Longstreet during campaigns against Knoxville and East Tennessee in the fall and winter of 1863/64. The regiment was transferred to the Army of Northern Virginia in the spring of 1864. The regiment was involved in many battles in Viriginia, including Drewry's Bluff on May 15, 1864, Petersburg from June of 1864, and Hatcher's Run on Feb. 5 & 6, 1865. The regiment surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse with approximately 70 men remaining from the over 1,000 men who served.
