Since the 19th century, Nathan Hale has been widely viewed as an American hero. He was the first American executed for spying for his country. Statues of him stand in New York City, at Yale University, and at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters. (46)His last words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" indicate his deep devotion to his nation and have been an inspiration to subsequent generations of Americans.
In September of 1776, Nathan Hale was a 21-year old captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. (47) When there was a need for intelligence gathering following the American loss of Long Island, Hale volunteered to cross enemy lines and gather as much information about the British army in New Work as he could. To do that, he disguised himself as a Dutch schoolteacher and made his way to New York from Norwalk, Connecticut.
His activities upon arriving at New York remain something of a mystery. It is known that he took notes and made some drawings before attempting to leave the island. Before he could do that, however, he was betrayed. How he was betrayed remains a mystery as well. There are two main accounts of how this happened. One says that one of Hale’s relatives, Samuel Hale, turned him in after recognizing him in a tavern. (48) The other says that Robert Rogers, a British Major, did not believe that Hale was a schoolteacher and that he got Hale to admit he was a spy by pretending to be a spy himself. However it happened, Hale was captured on September 21, 1776.
When he was captured, the British found the notes and drawings that Hale had produced. (49) Armed with this evidence, they easily obtained his confession that he was indeed a member of the Continental Army. This made him an uninformed enemy combatant behind enemy lines. Given the rules of war at the time, the British were perfectly justified in hanging him the next morning without a trial. Hale was executed at the tender age of 21. (50) Although Hale’s spying mission ended in failure, his display of patriotism made him a hero among the colonists fighting for independence.
