Most great writers and poets lived relevantly interesting yet hard lives. The famed American writer Edgar Allan Poe was no different. Perhaps this is why the central figure in early American literature spent his early life in the Army and attending West Point. 

At 21, Edgar Poe entered West Point’s demanding Military Program with influence from his wealthy guardian, John Allan. Though well-educated and quick-witted, Poe soared in his classes at West Point.

One look at Edgar Allan Poe’s biography would tell you that the famed writer was born and raised on the North East Coast of the United States, where he would stay for the majority of his life. Born in Boston on January 19, 1809, Poe’s childhood was tough.

Poe attended the University of Virginia, where Woodrow Wilson would attend less than a century later, and Allan funded his education. However, Poe accumulated massive gambling debts at the college and left after a year. At 18 years old, Poe moved to Boston and published his first book of verse. 

It seems odd to ask the question, “Was Edgar Allan Poe a cadet?” However, Poe seemed to flourish in the military, obtaining the rank of Sergeant Major for Artillery. However, Poe seemed to want to attend West Point for an undocumented reason.

After seven months in the academy, Poe stopped showing up to classes that he was exceeding in. Pieces of History discovered that Cadet Poe has 44 offenses and 106 demerits for the term. In January, the month that Poe would leave the school, he was at the top of the list with 66 offenses for the month. 

On January 28, 1831, a court-martial convened at West Point found Poe guilty of two charges, according to Pieces of History. The first charge found Poe guilty of gross neglect of duty, and the second for disobedience of orders. 

Disowned by his foster family and gone from West Point, Poe was ready to become a professional poet and writer. Poe left for New York City in February of 1831 and released a third volume of poems, simply titled “Poems.” 

In 1827, right before enlisting in the United States Army under an assumed name, Poe published his first collection of poems. “Tamerlane and Other Poems,” a collection of poems, appeared without an author’s name, credited only to “a Bostonian.”

While “Tamerlane” holds a special place in American literature, it is Poe’s “The Raven” that found him instant success. While recognized primarily as a literary critic, Poe published poems and short stories in the magazine he edited during his lifetime.

Poe had a few marriages in his life, but his most infamous marriage was to his first cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe. On May 16, 1836, Virginia, 13 years old, and Edgar Allan Poe, 27 years old, publicly exchanged vows. However, Virginia’s age was listed as 21 with Thomas W. Cleland confirming this to be true. 

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Poe’s life was his death. Found semiconscious in a ditch in Baltimore by Joseph W. Walker on October 3, 1849. Poe was unable to stay coherent long enough to explain how he ended up in clothes that were not his own and who “Reynolds,” a name he called out the night before his death, was.