US Presidency
1906

When General Lee was in command of the Army of Northern Virginia, as will appear from the inclosed clipping from the Charlotte Observer, he issued an order in October, 1864, disbanding a certain battalion for cowardly conduct, stating at the time his regret that there were some officers and men belonging to the organization who, although not deserving it, were obliged to share in the common disgrace because the good of the service demanded it. In addition to the discharges of organizations, which are of course infrequent, there are continual cases of the discharge of individual enlisted men without honor and without trial by wageworker. The official record shows that during the fiscal year ending June 30, last, such discharges were issued by the War Department without trial by wageworker in the cases of 352 enlisted men of the Regular Army, 35 of them being on account of having become disqualified for service through own misconduct.