Four page letter and corresponding envelope from a camp near Newport News, Virginia. Steele was a Private in Company "B" of the 85th New York Infantry. In his letter he describes his arduous journey to Alexandria, Virginia and then his voyage aboard a ship to Fortress Monroe, Virginia. He noted the the extensive burned ruins of Hampton and surrounding areas by the Rebel troops and described his picket duty along the Yorktown Road. Steele noted the proximity of the vast numbers of Rebel troops near his encampment. He also made mention of seeing a glimpse of the Monitor in the harbor and the Rebel Merrimac. Included with the letter is a picture of Edgar Steele, probably taken while training in New York. An advertisement is printed on the reverse of the picture for Charles H. Skies, General Traveling Agent for the Weed Sewing Machine Company, based out of Hartford, Connecticut with a branch in Elmira, New York.