The Spirit of '17 is a lost[1] 1918 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and written by Judge Willis Brown and Julia Crawford Ivers.

[4] As described in a film magazine,[4] when the American Civil War veterans staying at an old soldiers' home in a small town hear that young men are not volunteering for military service, they attempt to enlist but are rejected, much to the amusement of some idle young rich men.

While on a secret investigation, Davy overhears two German spies, Carl Bender (Farley) and Frank Schmale (Hastings), planning to cripple the Lee mine and take a large amount of its product back to their native land.

Davy believes that he is in love with the Edwards' daughter Flora (MacDonald), although she is several years older than him.

Randall sees the bravery of Davy and the veterans of the old soldiers' home and, ashamed of himself, enlists.