Did You Know Edgar Allan Poe Went to West Point?

The Hudson Valley is rich with history, I think we all know that. Maybe I'm alone here, but I feel like I'm learning something new about our community every day.

For instance, I was today years old when I found out that prolific poet Edgar Allan Poe attended West Point Military Academy. Don't judge me, but I learned this while watching a trailer for the new Netflix film The Pale Blue Eye. The movie, which comes out on December 23rd, 2022 in select theaters and on Netflix streaming on January 6th, 2023, apparently is a mystery-thriller about the murder of a West Point Cadet.

The Pale Blue Eye stars Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson, Robert Duval and Harry Melling as Edgar Allan Poe.

IMDB breaks down the movie writing:

A world-weary detective is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets' code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case - a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe.

So of course after reading that I had to learn more. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Poe was in the Army, quit after 2 years and made his way to West Point. They explain:

After just two years of military service, Poe attained the rank of Sergeant Major for Artillery, the highest enlisted rank open to him. Then, abruptly, he found a substitute and quit the Army to pursue an appointment to the U.S.

Military Academy at West Point.

Edgar Allan Poe got to West Point in March of 1830, but his time at the Military Academy didn't last long. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers writes:

In January Poe quit his classes with predicable results. He was court-martialed and formally dismissed from the academy on March 6, 1831.

While his stint at West Point was short, it's still a fantastic piece of Hudson Valley history.

Interested in seeing The Pale Blue Eye? Check out the trailer below: