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Edgar Allan Poe: January 18, 1809 - October 7, 1849

Pioneering author Edgar Allan Poe joined the Army at the age of 18 in an act of desperation after suffering the strain of surviving on his own for two months without money. This enlistment paper shows that Poe was in Boston when he signed up, that he used a false name, Edgar Perry, and a false age, adding four years to his real age. The paper also described him as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, with brown hair, gray eyes, and a fair complexion.