While living in Boston, Poe served in the army at Fort Independence on Castle Island in Boston Harbor. At age 18 in 1827, Poe enlisted and served in Battery H of the First Artillery of the U.S. Army. Many think he was inspired to write the "Cask of Amontillado" from his experiences at Castle Island, which was involved in the defense of Boston harbor. While living in Boston (where Poe was also born), he wrote "Tamerlane and Other Poems," a collection of poetry, but only about 40 copies were printed in 1827 (see the source from the Poe Organization below). The book contained about 10 poems and received little notice. It was credited to an "A Bostonian," as Poe did not publish it under his own name.

Though born in Boston, Edgar Allan Poe had a somewhat fraught relationship with his hometown. After spending the first ten months of his life in the city, Poe returned to Boston at the age of eighteen. It was here that his first work, "Tamerlane and other Poems" was published.

Poe had returned to the city of his birth after a bust-up with his foster parents, the Allans. The fledgling poet had racked up $2,000 in gambling debts—an enormous sum of money at that time—and his foster father refused to bail him out. So he angrily left his foster family behind to seek his fortune in the world. Eventually, he wound up in Boston, which was renowned for its thriving literary scene. But Poe couldn't support himself with his pen, and it's generally believed that, for a month or two, Poe made a living by working in a merchandise house and the office of a small newspaper.