American spy Nathan Hale is executed by British troops - September 22nd, 1776

On this day in 1776, Captain Nathan Hale of the Continental Army was hanged by the British for spying.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in history class as a production of I
heart radio. Hello and welcome to this day in history class,
a show that pays tribute to people of the past
by telling their stories. Today I'm Gabe Lousier, and in
this episode we're talking about the life and death of
Nathan Hale, a young American soldier who became a symbol

(00:24):
of self sacrifice to a nation in search of heroes.
The day was September seventeen seventy six. Captain Nathan Hale
of the Continental Army was hanged by the British for spying.

(00:44):
The former Connecticut School teacher was just twenty one years old,
but it bravely volunteered weeks earlier to sneak across enemy
lines and gather valuable Intel about British movements. Hale's mission
was ultimately unsuccessful, but his death inspired George Washington to
create a dedicated spy ring, one that ultimately helped win

(01:06):
the war. Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, on
June sixth seventeen fifty five. He was the second son
of Deacon Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong, a prominent puritan
couple who placed great importance on education and religious virtue.
When Hale was fourteen he was sent off to Yale

(01:27):
College with his older brother Enoch. Both boys became members
of the Linonian Society, a Student Club devoted to literature
and debate. Nathan graduated with honors in Seventeen seventy three
and quickly took a job as a local school teacher,
first in East Hadam and then, a bit later, in
New London. Unfortunately, Hale's quiet life of letters didn't last long.

(01:53):
When the American revolution began in seventeen seventy five, hale
quickly joined the fight for independence. As part of a
Connecticut militia. He took part in the siege of Boston
that summer and the following year he was promoted to
the rank of captain. From there hale went to New
York City, where he, in a small unit, aided William

(02:13):
Heath's brigade in defending the city. They did their best
to hold back the forces of British General William how
but in late August the Patriots were overwhelmed and the
port of New York City finally fell to the invading
British army. It was a dangerous setback for the American
colonies as how had already captured Staten Island and begun

(02:35):
a military build up on Long Island. He was on
his way to controlling America's second largest city after Philadelphia,
clearing the path for him to take possession of all
of New York. If that happened, the New England would
be effectively cut off from the rest of the colonies,
making the chances of an American victory that much slimmer.

(02:56):
The continental army had held its ground on the island
of Man Hatton, but General George Washington knew a British
invasion was imminent. What he didn't know, however, was where
in Manhattan the British would strike. To find out, he
asked for a volunteer to travel behind enemy lines on
long island to gather information on the British army's location

(03:17):
and movements. Nathan Hale put his name forward for the
job and on September twelve he was ferried across to Huntington,
New York, on British controlled Long Island. Once there, hale
disguised himself as a Dutch schoolmaster in search of a
job and began asking around for information on British troops.

(03:38):
His goal was to learn how the Red Coats intended
to take Manhattan so that General Washington couldn't mount a
proper defense. Unfortunately, the British army invaded Manhattan and captured
the city just a few days after Hale's arrival. Any
information he'd gathered would no longer be of use and,
to make matters worse, he was now trapped in enemy

(04:00):
trolled territory. Hale tried to return to his regiment, but
on September twenty British soldiers set fire to the city
and began actively searching for anyone loyal to the Patriot cause.
The exact details of Nathan Hale's capture are unknown. Some
sources claim he was caught while sailing back across the

(04:20):
long island sound. Others say he was recognized by his
loyalist cousin, Samuel Hale, who promptly handed him over to
British authorities. But the most widely accepted version of events
is that British major Robert Rogers saw through Hale's disguise
after spotting him in a local tavern. Rogers reportedly played

(04:40):
at cool and didn't let hale know he was onto him. Instead,
he struck up a conversation and pretended that he too
was a Patriot sympathizer. Once he had gained Hale's trust,
Rogers invited him to his private quarters to have dinner
with a few friends. Hale accepted the invitation and during
the meal he was a tested for espionage. Whatever the

(05:03):
truth of his capture, Nathan Hale was taken to British
headquarters for questioning by General William Howe. Maps and drawings
of British fortifications were then discovered in Hale's possession, confirming
major Roger's suspicion that he was indeed a spy. With
the matter settled, General Howe wasted no time in issuing
execution orders. The following morning, Hale was taken to an

(05:26):
undisclosed location somewhere in New York City and hanged by
the neck until dead. His body was left hanging for
several days and was then buried in an unmarked grave. Today,
hale is best remembered not only for his courage and
the face of untimely death, but for his stirring final words.

(05:47):
I only regret that I have but one life to
lose for my country. It's worth noting, though, that there's
no proof that hale actually made that statement. It was
first attributed to him by Britge Ish Captain John Montresor,
who recounted the event and the famous line to an
American captain just one day after Hale's execution. If his

(06:09):
account is true, then Hale was likely paraphrasing a line
from a seventeen thirteen tragic play called Cato. It went
what a pity it is that we can die but
once to serve our country. That passage was near and
dear to many revolutionaries of the era, and Hale was,
after all, a Yale educated teacher with a passion for literature.

(06:32):
He almost certainly would have been familiar with the quote.
To be clear, several accounts written at the time of
Hale's death mentioned that he gave a speech on the
way to the gallows. There's just no official record of
what exactly he said. We do have a rough idea, though.
One of the British officers present at Hale's execution wrote

(06:53):
about the event in his diary that same day. The
entry said of hale quote he behaved with great compos
jure and resolution, saying he thought it the duty of
every good officer to obey any orders given him by
his commander in chief, and he desired the spectators to
be at all times prepared to meet death, in whatever

(07:13):
shape it might appear. So did Hale really say? I
only regret that I have but one life to lose
for my country? No one really knows. Nothing in the
accounts we have rule it out or confirm it. But
even if he didn't express that exact sentiment, given his story,
it seems certain he would have agreed with it. Hale's

(07:35):
mission never had a high chance of success. He hadn't
been trained as a spy and he had been given
only the most basic instructions on how to conceal his
identity and mission. He knew all of that, but he
also knew there was no time to prepare anything better.
The risk of failure was high, but Nathan Hale took
it on anyway. He volunteered to try and to die

(07:58):
trying if necessary, and by all accounts, those of both
his friends and foes alike, he would have done the
same again if he couldn't. I'm gay, Bluesier and hopefully
you now know a little more about history today than
you did yesterday. If you have a second and you're
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(08:22):
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Dot Com. Thanks to Chandler mays for producing the show
and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back
here again tomorrow for another day in history class.