When I was in Connecticut last week, one of the things we did was tour the Nathan Hale Homestead. Nathan Hale was an American Patriot, solider, and spy for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He was born to a prominent farming family in Connecticut in 1755. At 14, he was sent with his brother, who was 16, to Yale College. Nathan graduated in 1773 and became a teacher.
After the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, Hale joined a Connecticut militia and became a first lieutenant within 5 months. For unknown reasons, he wasn’t able to join his troops at the Siege of Boston, which deeply bothered him. Eager to go to combat against the British, Hale jumped at the opportunity to serve in the newly established Knowlton’s Rangers, which focused on reconnaissance missions. Knowlton’s Ranger’s are considered to be America’s first organized intelligence service organization, and they’re the predecessor to modern special forces units like the Army Rangers, Delta Force and other special operations units.
After the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, General George Washington was in desperate need of intelligence on the enemy. He needed to know their next move before it was too late to react. So he called for a spy to go behind enemy lines – and Hale was the only volunteer. His friends tried to talk him out of it, but nevertheless, Hale embarked on his mission in September 1776. He had little to no training, but planned on disguising himself as a Dutch schoolteacher looking for work. However, he didn’t travel under an assumed name and carried his Yale diploma with his name on it. He asked a few too many questions and soon aroused suspicion.
According to one story, a British spy, Robert Rogers, saw Hale in a tavern one night and recognized him. He sat down next to him and started up a conversation, lying about also being an American behind enemy lines. Gaining the trust of the young spy, by the end of the evening Hale admitted he was on a mission from General Washington to gather information. You can guess what happened next. He was promptly apprehended and questioned by the British. Physical evidence was also found on him. Hale was hanged the very next day, at just 21 years old. He’s remembered for his last words: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Though he was only a spy for about a month, Hale is considered an American hero, and in 1985 was officially named the state hero of Connecticut. Though there is no known portrait of him, Hale was featured on the US Postal Service’s first half-cent stamp in 1925. There are also statues of him at the Connecticut state capitol, Yale University, CIA headquarters and more. Learn more here.