Army life did not drive Poe insane.
There is no evidence of insanity in Poe. People think so mainly because he wrote short stories and poem where the narrator's sanity is questionable. Since Poe used the point of view of the first person in many of his stories, readers think he, Poe, is speaking through the narrator as if he himself is insane.
Poe was discharged from the army with the rank of Sergeant Major.
No, Edgar Allan Poe did not like the Army. In fact, he sent a letter to his foster father asking him to help with getting him out his five-year service.
Franny Allan is the foster mother of Edgar Allan Poe and wife of John Allan. Although the adoption was unofficial, Franny Allan was very pleased to have Edgar in her life as she and her husband lived in an empty nest. She died in 1829, and a few months later Edgar was released from the Army.
Edgar Allan Poe entered the US Army on May 26, 1827 when he was 18 years, 4 months, and 7 days old though he listed his age as 22 and his name as "Edgar A. Perry."
General Laselle from the French army
General Laselle from the French army
General Laselle from the French army
Poe never changed his name in the usual sense. He was born Edgar Poe, but after his parents died and he was taken in as a foster child by John and Frances Allan, they had him baptized as Edgar Allan Poe. As a young man he enlisted in the army under the name of Edgar Perry, but that was just given as a false name. Poe did not keep it after he left the aemy.
Yes, Edgar Allan Poe had various jobs throughout his life, including working as an editor, literary critic, and freelance writer. He also served in the military and briefly attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Poe had run up about $2000 in gambling debts while at the University of Virginia. His foster father, John Allan, refused to give Poe any money to pay those debts or to pay for tuition. Poe was forced to leave the University and enlist in the army under the name Edgar A. Perry in order to earn money to repay the debts.
He had had tremendous unpaid gambling debts and the authorities were asking for his arrest, so by placing his enrollment under another name he avoided this, and as an added bonus he left the country with the army.
Edgar Allan Poe was adopted by a wealthy merchant, John Allan, and he initially paid Poe's tuition to Virginia University. However, Poe had developed a gambling problem, which resulted in him running up expenses over $2,000 at the end of his first semester. John Allan then refused to pay and Poe left school.