Edgar Allan Poe, x USMA class of 1834 [The "x" means non-graduating member
of the class]
Boston, January 19, 1809 - Baltimore October 7, 1849
Edgar Allen Poe was a cadet at West Point from July 1830 until 19 February
1831. Thus he completed only one semester at USMA, the United States
Military Academy. During the first year the cadets studied algebra, geometry
and trigonometry, but I believe that the trigonometry was done in the second
semester. The textbooks used in these courses, from 1823 to 1839, were the
Geometry of Legendre and the Algebra of Lacroix, both in the French editions
(there would have been several editions --- reprintings, really --- during
this period). The only other subject studied in the first year by the plebes
or 4th class cadets was French. The cadets went to class from 8 AM to 1 PM
and then from 2 to 4 PM. Most of this time was spent on mathematics. I
believe that the classes met six days per week, but would have to check out
this detail.
On January 4, 1831, the Academic Board (which was made up of the professors
and other invited faculty) met "for the purpose of the semi-annual
examination." Sylvanus Thayer, the Superintendent, as well as Charles
Davies, Professor of Mathematics, were there. At the time the remainder of
the mathematics faculty consisted of Lieutenants Edgar C. Ross, Albert E.
Church, Joseph B. Smith, Charles W. Hackley, Miner Knowlton, and O. M. K.
Mitchell. [Ross translated Bourdon's Algebra in 1832, Church became
department head after Davies and wrote a number of textbooks, and Hackley
wrote a nice algebra book --- I have the 1849 edition.]
"The 1st section of the 4th class was examined in Algebra by Lieut. Ross."
from 8AM till 1PM on January 4, 1831. From 2 to 4 that afternoon he examined
them in geometry. The next day, January 5, Lieut. Hackley examined the
second section of the fourth class in Algebra. Thus it seems reasonable that
Poe was orally examined by either Ross or Hackley (if he was in the third
section he did exceptionally well on the exam). There were 87 4th class
cadets on the roll and they were divided into 5 sections in mathematics and
6 in French. These 87 cadets are listed "according to merit." Poe is third
in French, 17th in mathematics.
This information comes from the United States Military Academy. Staff
Records. No. 1. 1818 to 1835. This is the title on the spine of the "Records
of the Academic Board", as they are usually called. This is a large
handwritten volume in the USMA Archives. The 4 January 1831 Academic Board
meeting begins on p. 459; Poe's ranking is on p. 466.
Perhaps it is interesting to note that the cadet who ranked first in
mathematics during his first semester was Robert T. P. Allen (Cullum # 754
[This is a register of all students who attended USMA]). He was Professor of
Mathematics and Civil Engineering at Allegheny College, PA, 1838-1841, and
in Transylvania College, KY, 1841-1845. Then he was Superintendent, with the
rank of Colonel, of the Kentucky Military Institute, Franklin Springs, KY,
1847, 1849, and 1851-1854.
There is a vertical file in the archives marked "Poe, Edgar A. x Class
1834" which contains photocopies of articles about Poe.
is an article by Jack Kaufhold entitled "The humor of Edgar Allen Poe."
There it is said that David E. Hall, a fellow cadet, wrote that Poe "is
thought a fellow of talent here but he is too mad a poet to like
mathematics."" (p. 138).
There is another article, this one from The American Mercury, v. 29, no.
116, August 1933, by Carlisle Allan entitled "Cadet Edgar Allan Poe, USA."
Allan got an MA in the Faculty of Philosophy in 1925 at Columbia University.
A typescript of a paper in support of that degree (his MA thesis?) is
entitled The Military Services of Edgar Allan Poe. I did not have time to
read this. From the article in the American Mercury one reads that Cadet
Thomas Pickering Jones, Poe's probable roommate at USMA, "said that Poe was
a brilliant student, but had an aversion to mathematics, and that his
inability to do well in that subject made him decide to leave West Point."
This article by Allan is quite scholarly written. After this quote he
remarks that Cadet
Jones is undoubtedly mistaken in his opinion, and to this I would agree.
Perhaps I should have commented that 27 of the 73 cadets who took the exam
with Poe were "found deficient, and turned back, to recommence the studies
of their respective classes." Poe was far ahead of this group of rocks (to
use the West Point slang for a cadet who lacks intellectual prowess).
The reasons for Poe leaving USMA are unclear. There is a letter in J. Thomas
Russell's Edgar Allen Poe. The Army Years, USMA Library Bulletin No 10,
1972 that indicates that Poe decided that he wanted to leave by December
1830, but no reason is stated. "After 6 months Poe apparently contrived to
be dismissed from West Point for disobedience of orders." ---
this is what is said at
http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/poe/Bio.html .
The story is that the cadets were to report for a drill "with cross belts
and under arms." Poe appeared with the cross belts (for cartridges), his
gun, and nothing else. There is no truth to this legend according to a
current historian of West Point, George S. Pappas (_To the Point_, p. 198),
but it is a juicy story --- well, it would have been a juicy story before
our current political upheaval. In fact, Poe missed various formations and
refused to attend chapel and class and was court martialed. I did not have
time to read the papers on the court martial in the vertical file.
So this is what a few hours in the Archives yielded. I think it is a fairly
full report on his mathematical adventures. To get a better idea of what he
might have learned one would have to read Legendre and Lacroix (and the
later English editions would suffice nicely for this). Curiously, I doubt he
learned anything about cryptography while here.
Professor V. Frederick Rickey
Department of Mathematical Sciences
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996-1786
Email: Fred-Rickey@usma.edu
Phone: 914-938-4010
http://www.dean.usma.edu/math/RESOURCE/FACULTY/rickey/rickey.htm