This letter, from J.E.F. Matthews to his cousin, John S. Matthews, contains a list of soldiers who served in Company C of the 17th Regiment “Columbus Volunteers” of the Georgia Infantry of the Confederate States of America. The regiment was raised from eight different counties in Georgia (Webster, Schley, Muscogee, Decatur, Mitchell, Dougherty, Harris, and Stewart) and officially organized in Atlanta from August 12 to August 15, 1861. The regiment's first commander was Col. Henry L. Benning, a prominent lawyer and judge in Muscogee County.

The regiment served in the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Garnett’s Farm, the Battle of Malvern Hill, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Chickamauga.

The regiment also served in the East Tennessee Campaign, the Wilderness Campaign, the Cold Harbor/Mechanicsville Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg.

The 17th surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th, 1865.