In 1803, Lieutenant William A. Harper of the Washington militia was charged with pocketing funds meant for the purchase of troop refreshments. At his initial hearing in 1804, he accused his commanders of incompetence. He followed that with a disparaging letter published in the Alexandria Daily Advertiser. In May 1805, Harper was formally acquitted of the initial charge, but found guilty of behavior unbecoming of an officer, in particular, the “disorderly, indecorous and disrespectful manner” in which he treated members of the court and his superior officers. He was sentenced to a five-year suspension of his command (Alexandria Daily Advertiser, 20 Sep. 1804; National Intelligencer, 31 May 1805).