Did Edgar Allan Poe Go To West Point? On January 6, 2023, the gothic murder mystery will be accessible on Netflix. Detective veteran Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) is sent to investigate a string of murders at West Point in 1830. Along the way, he gets help from and forms a close relationship with Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling), an out-of-the-ordinary military cadet who would become one of the most famous authors in history.
Source: Netflix
The movie is not based on actual events; rather, it is an adaptation of a novel by Louis Bayard in 2003 with the same name as the film. Edgar Allan Poe did not do well while serving his country in the military as a soldier. Unbelievably, one of the best novelists of all time also spent some time serving in the military.
It's possible that he was desperate for a more solid income when, on May 27, 1827, he enlisted in the US Army under the alias "Edgar A. Perry," but it's also possible that he just wanted to try something new. Not only was he only 18 years old, but he also lied about his age and claimed to be 22. Poe reportedly enrolled in the First Regiment of Artillery as a private for five years, as stated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Before being sent to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina in the winter of 1827, Edgar Allan Poe was incarcerated at Fort Independence in Boston for most of the fall of that year. There, he was able to thrive and acquire the skills necessary to load artillery shells. Poe uprooted his life about a year after that, moving to Fortress Monroe, located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Did Edgar Allan Poe Go To West Point?
Harry Melling's (left) depiction of Edgar Allan Poe in "The Pale Blue Eye" is unnervingly realistic when contrasted with Poe himself, who Edgar Allan Poe played. After just two years of service in the military, Poe had already attained the rank of Sergeant Major for Artillery, considered the "highest enlisted position attainable to him" (US Army Corps of Engineers). Then, quite surprisingly, he found a successor and resigned from the Army to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.
When Poe's first year of duty was drawing to an end, he approached the Army with the request to be discharged ahead of schedule. They told him he could if he made things right with his wealthy foster father, John Allan, but it was a conditional offer.
After the passing of John's wife Frances, he volunteered to assist, and he used the contacts he had to ensure that Poe would be accepted to West Point. The poet started his academic career in March 1830 when he was twenty-one and registered for classes. Poe turned forth an outstanding performance in the classroom.
Henry Melling gives the performance of Edgar Allan Poe as a young cadet at West Point in the movie 'The Pale Blue Eye,' in which Christian Bale plays the role of Detective Augustus Landor. Poe skipped school in January of 1831, and just two months later, he was found guilty of misconduct at West Point and kicked out of the academy. Although The Pale Blue Eye is a work of fiction, writer and director Scott Cooper, saw an opportunity to portray something of an author's origin story in the mystery movie.
#1. Did Edgar Allan Poe Go To West Point?
Source: NetflixThe movie is not based on actual events; rather, it is an adaptation of a novel by Louis Bayard in 2003 with the same name as the film. Edgar Allan Poe did not do well while serving his country in the military as a soldier. Unbelievably, one of the best novelists of all time also spent some time serving in the military.
It's possible that he was desperate for a more solid income when, on May 27, 1827, he enlisted in the US Army under the alias "Edgar A. Perry," but it's also possible that he just wanted to try something new. Not only was he only 18 years old, but he also lied about his age and claimed to be 22. Poe reportedly enrolled in the First Regiment of Artillery as a private for five years, as stated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Before being sent to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina in the winter of 1827, Edgar Allan Poe was incarcerated at Fort Independence in Boston for most of the fall of that year. There, he was able to thrive and acquire the skills necessary to load artillery shells. Poe uprooted his life about a year after that, moving to Fortress Monroe, located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Did Edgar Allan Poe Go To West Point?Harry Melling's (left) depiction of Edgar Allan Poe in "The Pale Blue Eye" is unnervingly realistic when contrasted with Poe himself, who Edgar Allan Poe played. After just two years of service in the military, Poe had already attained the rank of Sergeant Major for Artillery, considered the "highest enlisted position attainable to him" (US Army Corps of Engineers). Then, quite surprisingly, he found a successor and resigned from the Army to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.
When Poe's first year of duty was drawing to an end, he approached the Army with the request to be discharged ahead of schedule. They told him he could if he made things right with his wealthy foster father, John Allan, but it was a conditional offer.
After the passing of John's wife Frances, he volunteered to assist, and he used the contacts he had to ensure that Poe would be accepted to West Point. The poet started his academic career in March 1830 when he was twenty-one and registered for classes. Poe turned forth an outstanding performance in the classroom.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers observed that despite his previous experience in the military, he had a tough time adjusting to the rigorous training, lengthy marches, and substandard diet required at the military college. He warned John that "the required study is unremitting, and the discipline required is very difficult." If only Poe could have known about the demands placed on people in today's world.
Henry Melling gives the performance of Edgar Allan Poe as a young cadet at West Point in the movie 'The Pale Blue Eye,' in which Christian Bale plays the role of Detective Augustus Landor. Poe skipped school in January of 1831, and just two months later, he was found guilty of misconduct at West Point and kicked out of the academy. Although The Pale Blue Eye is a work of fiction, writer and director Scott Cooper, saw an opportunity to portray something of an author's origin story in the mystery movie.