Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755–September 22, 1776) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Hale was most famous for his service as a spy; he volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission and was caught and executed. Hale has long been considered an American hero, and in 1985 he was officially designated the State Hero of Connecticut. A large statue of Hale is located outside the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, DC.

Related Topics:
June 6 - 1755 - September 22 - 1776 - Continental Army - American Revolutionary War - Spy - Hero - 1985 - State Hero - Statue - Headquarters - Central Intelligence Agency - Washington, DC

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Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, and was sent, with his brother Enoch, to Yale College at the age of 14. Both brothers belonged to the Yale literary fraternity, Linonia, which debated topics in astronomy, mathematics, literature, and the ethics of slavery. Graduating with first honors in 1773, he taught school, first in East Haddam and later in New London, until the war began. In 1774 he joined a Connecticut militia and was elected first sergeant.

Related Topics:
Coventry, Connecticut - Yale College - East Haddam - New London

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When his militia unit participated in the Siege of Boston, Hale remained behind, but July 6, 1775, he joined the regular Continental Army's 7th Connecticut Regiment under Colonel Charles Webb of Stamford. He was promoted to captain and in March 1776 commanded a small unit of Lt-Col. Thomas Knowlton's Rangers in the defense of New York City, which rescued a ship full of provisions from the guard of a British man-of-war.

Related Topics:
Siege of Boston - July 6 - 1775 - Continental Army - Rangers - New York City - British - Man-of-war

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In September of that year, Hale volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in Long Island, which was at that time behind enemy lines. He disguised himself as a Dutch schoolteacher, and after having successfully gathered the information required by the mission, he was apprehended while returning to his regiment on Manhattan Island on September 21.

Related Topics:
Long Island - Manhattan Island

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British Lieutenant General Sir William Howe ordered that he be hanged for espionage the following day. He was allowed to give a speech from the gallows, part of which, according to tradition, included the words "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

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If he did give the famous speech, it is most likely he was actually repeating a passage from Joseph Addison's play, Cato, which was an ideological inspiration to many Whigs:

Related Topics:
Joseph Addison - Cato - Whig

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How beautiful is death, when earn?d by virtue!

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Who would not be that youth? What pity is it

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That we can die but once to serve our country.

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No official records of any sort having been kept of Hale's speech, it is impossible to verify that he actually delivered this memorable line; however, rumor of it subsequently spread throughout the colonies, making a martyr of Hale and boosting morale for the revolutionaries.

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No authentic likeness exists. The square-jawed image of an idealized Nathan Hale has been established by the memorial statue by Frederick William Macmonnies that was erected in 1890 at the site in City Hall Park (Broadway at Murray Street) in New York City upon which Hale was executed (copies exist in several museums). Hale is buried in Coventry, Connecticut.

Related Topics:
Frederick William Macmonnies - New York City

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A statue of Hale, sculpted around 1898 by Bela Lyon Pratt, was cast in 1912 and stands in front of Connecticut Hall at Hale's alma mater, Yale. Copies of this sculpture stand at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the Nathan Hale Homestead, the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Related Topics:
Bela Lyon Pratt - Phillips Academy - Andover - Massachusetts - Washington, D.C. - Central Intelligence Agency

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The United States Navy submarine USS Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) was named in his honor.

Related Topics:
United States Navy - Submarine - USS ''Nathan Hale'' (SSBN-623)

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