Did You Know About Poe...?

Many things come to mind when we think about Edgar Allen Poe, but a military man is probably not one of them.

Poe was another one of those folks that seem to be doomed from the start. In a life filled with bad choices and experiences, it's as though his destiny was to be badly thought of. His writings never really caught on until after his death.

Edgar Allan Poe Was Court-Martialed

Now recognized as a literary genius, Edgar Allan Poe spent most of his life in poverty, stumbling from one bad situation to another. While he never sank so low as to aid the enemy or spy on his acquaintances, this long period of drunken wandering in his life did wind up with him getting officially court-martialed by the US military.

On May 3, 1830, a young Poe entered West Point with soldier experience under his belt, hoping to graduate as a lieutenant within six months. It didn’t work out. To Poe’s surprise, his previous soldiering counted for nothing, and he was expected to last out the full four years. At the same time, his foster father slowed down payments to the young author, leaving Poe in penury. Since he wasn’t allowed to leave West Point without express consent from his guardian (who wouldn’t give it), Poe decided the only way out was through dismissal.

Starting on January 7, 1831, Poe began a campaign of disobedience that put him on a crash course with his superiors. After a whole month of failing to report for class or duty, the military court-martialed Poe and threw the book at him. Poe was disgraced and thrown out of the US military.

Oddly, this wasn’t quite the end to his military adventures. Only a couple of months after his court-martial, Poe begged West Point’s superintendent for a recommendation so he could go fight the Russians in Poland. He was refused.

Like the good book says... the road to Hell is paved with good intentions! It's a shame that Poe had to live so long in a self inflicted version of Hell, but bad choices in life can do just that!

I hope that Poe found some sense of peace in his later years, and maybe he will be thought of in a kinder light from now on. Seems to be the least we can deo.

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Should be almost 90 again today!