Head Quarters 7th Vt. InfantryBaton Rouge La.August 18. 1862Sir,

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Some vacancies have occurred in this regiment by death among the Officers, & so many other Officers are excused from duty on account of sickness that I have frequently been unable to supply an Officer for each Company there being less than ten Company Officers on duty at such times, several Officers have tendered their resignations on account of ill health and after carefully examining the cases & consulting the surgeon, in view of the risk which I understand has been adopted in this department as well as elsewhere I have endorsed two as approved by me & sent them through the proper channel to divission head quarters, I also forwarded the resignation tendered by Lt. G. W. Sheldon who was at the time & still is in arrest, he had been guilty of repeated misconduct & I was & still am satisfied that to retain him in the position he now occupies would be an injury to his Company, the regiment & the service all the other resignations tendered have been rejected by me as not proper to be accepted under the seal above attended to, I should be glad if this resignations could be accepted & the Officers discharged so that their places may be filled by efficient men & thus enable me to put the regiment in a more severe

able condition, the names of the Officers who have been recommended for discharge are Henry M. Frost Chaplain, William S. Harris 1st Lt. Co. A. & George W. Sheldon 1st Lt. Co. E. I shall also forward within a short time the resignation of George M. R. Corrard of Co. G. which I have no doubt should be accepted.

I have a large number of men in the regiment who are entirely incapacitated for duty by reason of breaches and chronic diseases who have in many cases done no duty for months and who only prove a clog to our movements & render us much less efficient by their presence, whom I wish to discharge but have heard that certificates of disability are returned unopened papers are being prepared in these cases but if the labor is to be thrown array I would like an intimation to that effect from you so as to save trouble here after their vacancies among the Company Officers & one among the field measured by deaths are to be filled & so far as is proper for me I will send a list of promotions which I wish to be made to fill the vacancies to head quarters as directed by General Order very soon,

I have the honor to be
Very Respectfully
Your Obedient ServantV. S. Fullam, Lt. Col. Comd. 7th.
Vt. Infy.

Maj. Gen. B. F. Butler