Scope and Contents: Lt. Steers enlisted in the Army in New York City December 24th, 1861. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in Company C, 90th New York Infantry. He was a member of the McClellan Rifles, a regiment comprised of the British Volunteers. Steers was promoted to Captain April 9th, 1864 and mustered out December 10th, 1864. While serving with the 90th New York Volunteers, Steers saw action at Port Hudson and Donaldson, La., as well as at Cedar Creek, Va.
Steers' Court Martial was the result of unauthorized absence and a charge of dereliction of duty while stationed at Key West, Fla. The notes at the back of the ledger offer what may be a verbatim record of portions of Steers' trial. Among the notes are references to some of Steers' fellow officers including: Lt. Edwin Stoutenborough (Co. C, 1862 - 1866); Lt. Mulligan (died 16 Aug, 1862) Lt. Blackwell (Co. B); Capt. Vaughn (Co. C, 1862 - 1864, dismissed); Lt. James Raymond (Adj. Discharged 13 Apr, 1863); Capt. Nelson Shavrman (Co. G, 1862 - 1866); and Lt. George Stewart (Co. A, 1862 - 1863).
Accompanying the ledger is a two-sided, handwritten document that contains what is most likely the final statement composed by Steers and presumably read at his court martial. This statement was written using the information contained in the back of the ledger. Considering that Steers was later promoted to Captain in April 1864, it it likely that he was cleared of the charges.