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**United States Articles of War**
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*Be it enacted by the Forces Headquarters for the Expeditionary Force of the United States of America, in Headquarters assembled, That, from and after the officilization, the following shall be the rules and articles by which the Expeditionary Force shall be governed:*

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   * **ARTICLE ONE**
            - *Every officer now in the Expeditionary Force shall, in six months from the passing of this act, and every officer who shall hereafter be appointed shall, before he enters on the duties of his office, subscribe these rules and regulation.* 

* **ARTICLE TWO**
            - *Any officer or soldier who shall use contemptuous or disrespectful words against the General the Armies, against the Forces Headquarters, thereof, against the Provost Marshal, or against any superior apointed above him, in which he may be quartered, if a commissioned officer, shall be cashiered, or otherwise be punished, as a courts-martial shall direct; if a non-commissioned officer or soldier, he shall suffer such punishment as shall be inflicted on him by the sentence of a court-martial.*

* **ARTICLE THREE**
            - *Any officer or soldier, who shall behave himself with contempt or disrespect toward his commanding officer, shall be punished, according to the nature of his offense, by the judgement of a court-martial.*
            
* **ARTICLE FOUR**
            - *Any officer or soldier who shall begin, excite, cause or join in, any mutiny or sedition, in any troop or company in the service of the Expeditionary Force, or in any party, post detachment, or guard shall suffer death and exile, or such other punishments as by a court-martial shall be inflicted.*

* **ARTICLE FIVE**
            - *Any officer or non-commissioned officer, or soldier, who, being present at any mutiny or sedition, does not use his utmost endeavor to suppress the same, or, coming to the knowledge of any intended mutiny, does not, without delay, give information thereof to his commanding officer, shall be punished by the sentence of a court-martial with death and exile, or otherwise, according to the nature of the offense.*

* **ARTICLE SIX**
            - *Any officer or soldier who shall strike his superior officer, or draw or lift up any weapon, or offer any violence against him, being in the execution of his office, on any pretense whatsoever, or shall disobey any lawful command of his superior officer, shall suffer death and death, or such other punishment as shall, according to the nature of his offense, be inflicted upon him by the sentence of a court-martial.*

* **ARTICLE SEVEN**
            - *Every non-commissioned officer or soldier, who shall himself in the service of the Expeditionary Force, shall, at the time of his so enlisting, or within six days afterward have the Articles for the governing of the armies of the United States read to him, and shall, by the officer who enlisted him, or by the commanding officer of the troop or company into which he was enlisted: “I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and that  I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the Rules and Articles for the governining of the armies of the Expeditionary Force.*

* **ARTICLE EIGHT**
            - *After a non-commissioned officer or soldier shall have been duly enlisted and sworn, he shall not be dismissed the service without a discharge in writing; and no discharge granted him shall be sufficient which is not signed by a field officer of the regiment to which he belongs, or commanding officer, where no field officer of the regiment is present; and no discharge shall be given to a non-commissioned officer or soldier before his term of service has expired, but by order of the General of the Armies, the Forces Headuqarters, or the sentence of a general court-martial; not shall a commissioned officer be discharged the service but by order of the General of the Armies, Forces Headquarters, or by sentence of a general court-martial.*
    
* **ARTICLE NINE**
            - *Every colonel, or other officer commanding a regiment, troop, or company, and actually quartered with it, may give furloughs to non-commissioned officers and soldiers, in such numbers, and for so long a time, as he shall judge to be most consistent with the good of the service; and a captain, or other inferior officer, commanding a troop or company or in any garrison, fort, or barrack of the Expeditionary Force (his field officer being absent), may give furloughs to non-commissioned officers for a time not exceeding twenty days in six months, but not more than two persons to be absent at the same time, excepting some extraordinary occasion should require it.*

* **ARTICLE TEN**
            - *At every muster, the commanding officer of each regiment, troop, or company, there present, shall give to the Forces Headquarters, or other officer who musters the said regiment, troop or company, certificates signed by himself, signifying how long such officers, as shall not appear at said muster, have been absent, an the reason of their absence.  In a like manner, the commanding officer of every troop or company shall give certificates, signifying the reasons of the absence of the non-commissioned officers and private soldiers; which reasons and time of absence shall be inserted in the muster-rolls, opposite the names of the respective absent officers and soldiers.  The certificates shall, together with the muster-rolls, be remitted by the commissary of musters or other officer mustering, to the Forces Headquarters, as speedily as the distance of the place will admit.*

* **ARTICLE ELEVEN**
            - *The commanding officer of every regiment, troop, or independent company or garrison of the United States, shall, in the beginning of every month remit, through proper channels, to the Forces Headquarters, an exact return of the regiment, troop, independent company or garrison, under his command, specifying the names of the officers then absent from their posts, with reasons for and the time of their absence.  And any officer who shall be convicted of having, through neglect or design, omitted sending such returns, shall be punished, according to the nature of his crime, by the judgement of a general court-martial.*

