Robert E. Lee to Dwight Jarvis

I have recd your letter of the 17th Inst: & in compliance with your request, will endeavor to explain to you the principle adopted in determining the standing of the Cadets in their studies & conduct.

The cadets are arranged in four classes, corresponding to the four years of study. Those employed in the first years course, constitute the 4th class; those in the second years course, the 3rd class; those in the third years course, the 2nd class; & those in the 4th years course, the 1st class.

Each class is divided into convenient sections, which are counted off from the merit roll of each respectively; in such manner that the 1st Section consists of the first Cadets on the roll; the Second of those next in order & so on. The sections thus formed are placed under the tuition of the Professors & Asst. profrs of the several departments of instruction. The instruction in each particular branch of the course, is proportioned to the capacity of the different Sections. The more profound and difficult being generally restricted to the higher Sections.

Every Profr is responsible for the mode & correctness of instruction in his Dept: is required to ascertain the proficiency & relative merit of each Cadet in the class. The instructors of each section keep daily notes of their progress, & of the recitations of each member, which at the end of every week, is submitted by the head of the Dept: to the Supt: with explanations, as may be necessary to shew the relative progress of the section & of each member. A consolidated report of the weekly class reports of each month, is rendered by the Supt to the Chief of Engineers at Washington, who transmits an abstract to the parent or guardian of every Cadet.

These are the reports I presume fall under your notice, & the number re-presenting the standing of your nephew in his studies, express his relative position in his class, derived from the sum of the weekly class reports of each month.

The conduct roll is compiled from the records of all irregularities & violations of the Code of discipline, established for the Cadets. The various prohibitions & requirements enjoined by this Code are divided into grades. Each grade comprises offences of the same degree in a moral & military point of view; & to each grade a number is attached, denoting the demerit to be recorded for the commission of such offences. For Example. Offences of the 1st. grade viz: Mutinous conduct &c Counts 10 demerit—2nd—Disobedience of orders &c—8—3rd—Visiting in Study hours &c 5—&c & offences of the 7th grade. Viz: Late at a roll call &c counts 1 demerit.

The offenses recorded against each Cadet, or rather the number expressive of them, are added up at the end of every month, & the sum thus obtained indicates his demerit for that period.

This sum generally increases from month to month, & when a Cadet has a number expressing his demerit greater than 200 for the year, such Cadet is declared deficient in Conduct by the Academic board, & the Regns require he should be recommended to the War Dept: for discharge.

At the semi-annual examinations in Jany & June, the standing of the Cadets is determined by the Academic board from their examinations & their proficiency in their course, as shown by their daily recitations, combined.

I regret to say that your nephew does not appear to be doing as well in his studies now as before the Jany examination. He has fallen in Mathematics since then & is now in the 6th Section. He is in the 7th Section (the lowest) in French, & among the lowest in it. He is also in the last section in English studies, but is among the best in that section.

His amount of demerit for the end of Jany. was 101. Thus far in Feby he has recd. but 2 in addition. I hope you will use your influence to stimulate him to greater diligence in his studies & more attention to his duties, in order that he may take a creditable stand in his class at the next June examination.

I fear my time has not allowed me to be sufficiently explicit in my explanations, but hope they may enable you to understand more clearly the reports from the War Dept: in future.

I remain Very resply. your obt St.

(Signed) R. E. Lee Bvt: Col:

Supt: Mil: Acady.