9. He Enlisted In The Army As "Edgar A Perry" When He Was Just 18 By Pretending He Was 22... Before Deliberately Getting Himself Court-Martialled
After dropping out of university, Poe had little-to-no money and so enlisted in the US Army as a private in May 1827. Claiming he was 22 years old when he was actually just 18, Poe served at Fort Independence in Boston Harbor - earning just $5 a dollar. Having served two years in the forces - including a spell at Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina - Poe attempted to end his agreed five-year enlistment prematurely, and managed to do so in April 1829 once he found a replacement recruit. However, Poe then matriculated as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, in July 1830 - only to purposefully get himself court-martialled so that he could leave the following year. As a result of this court-martial, Poe was tried for gross neglect of duty and disobedience of orders after he refused to attend church and classes - but he pled not guilty in order to force through a dismissal from the army as he knew he would be found to be culpable.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
