"In 1827, Edgar Allan Poe joined the army under the name Edgar A. Perry. He rose quickly through the ranks - most notably learning cannon drill - but suffered as a social misfit in the field and at West Point, where legends about a brilliantly defiant jester still abound. Shortly after being dismissed from the Military Academy for neglecting his duties, Poe published his third book of verse, Poems (1831), which he dedicated to his fellow West Point cadets and funded through subscriptions to them." "William F. Hecker is in a unique position to appreciate the influence that military culture and training had on young Poe. A professional artilleryman and a Poe scholar, Hecker offer an account of Poe's experience as an enlisted soldier and West Point cadet and relates it to his writing, especially his Poems (1831), presented here in facsimile for the first time since 1936. Private Perry and Mister Poe offers the definitive statement about Poe's martial career while making the early versions of many of his most famous poems widely available."--Jacket.