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Nathan Hale

(1755-1776)

Nathan Hale was born in 1755 in Coventry, Connecticut. He was the sixth of twelve children born to a prosperous farmer. Nathan's early years were marred by sickness but he recovered and grew strong with a quick mind. His parents encouraged education and he attended Yale in 1769. In 1773 during his commencement address Hale proved to be an early supporter of better education for women, wondering out loud why men should receive better treatment in this field.

In 1774, Hale was employed as a school teacher at the age of twenty in the town of New London. A town meeting was called soon after word of Lexington and Concord reached the area. During this meeting Hale spoke, "Let us march immediately and never lay down our arms until we obtain independence."(5) To this point the word independence had not been spoken out loud so brazenly. "It would seem as if the uncalculating courage of a boy of twenty were needed to break the spell which still gave dignity to colonial submission."(6)

The next day Hale took leave of his school and accepted a commission as a First Lieutenant in the Seventh Connecticut regiment under Colonel Charles Webb. He enjoyed military life and threw himself into his duties as a company commander. When the army was reorganized in January, 1776 Nathan was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned to a garrison in Long Island.

It was during this time that Hale led a daring night assault on the Phoenix, a British frigate. Numerous cannons, arms and much needed ammo was recovered during this assault.

In September 1776, George Washington formed an elite group of new England Rangers under the command of Lt. Colonel Thomas Knowlton. Hale was invited to command one of the four companies. This group was later to be recognized as Knowlton's Rangers.

Washington knew he could not defend all of Manhattan and desperately needed information regarding British troop movements. Washington requested that Knowlton find a volunteer to go behind enemy lines and retrieve this information. When Knowlton's query was met with silence, Hale, his youngest captain volunteered despite the protests of his friends.

On September 20th, 1776 while attempting to gain whatever intelligence he could in New York City, Hale was captured. Hale was brought for questioning before General William Howe, and numerous intelligence reports and information were recovered from his person. There was no trial and Howe ordered that Hale should be hanged the next morning.

Before his death Hale wrote a letter to his mother and to a fellow officer, both these letters were destroyed so that ";the rebels should not know they had a man in their army who could die with so much firmness."(7) Hale requested a bible and was refused. Hale was asked to make any last confessions, it was at this time he said what are now famous words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Nathan Hale was hung as a spy at the age of twenty one. His body was left hanging for several days on the road near his execution site and was later buried in an unmarked grave.

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