Was Nathan Hale ever married?
Was Nathan Hale ever married? Of Nathan's personal life, we know little other than that he married and buried three wives: the first was Eunice Raymond whom he married on 14 August, 1793, in Rindge. To them was born an infant of which the record states: "b. and d. 1794."
Did Nathan Hale have any children?
Does Nathan Hale have any children? One son, Capt. Nathan Hale was caught and hanged as a spy at age 21 by the British in September of 1776. He is famous for his alleged last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Where was Nathan Hale really hanged?
Nathan Hale Hanging Site Manhattan, New York A plaque immortalizes the spot where the early American spy said his famous last words: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
What was Nathan Hale famous for?
Who was Nathan Hale? Nathan Hale was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. A captain in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, he famously announced "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" just before being executed by the British for being a spy.
Who did Nathan Hale get married to?
Nathan Hale married Elizabeth Adams in 1775 while Nathan was in the army. She lived into her 90s and in 1837 wrote a remembrance of Nathan Hale then dead for sixty-one years.
What were Nathan's last words?
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Have you heard this famous declaration before? American patriot Nathan Hale said it on September 22, 1776, his last words before he was hanged for spying on British troops.
What did Nathan Hale love?
Into all this stepped Nathan Hale, who loved his country and wanted to see it free from British restrictions. Young Nathan (for he was still relatively young at that time) joined the Connecticut militia and then the Continental Army. He wanted to fight to make sure that Americans' rights were protected.
Was Nathan Hale a real person?
Nathan Hale, (born June 6, 1755, Coventry, Connecticut [U.S.]—died September 22, 1776, Manhattan Island, New York), American Revolutionary officer who attempted to spy on the British and was hanged.
Why did the British execute Nathan Hale?
In New York City on September 22, 1776, Nathan Hale, a Connecticut schoolteacher and captain in the Continental Army, is executed by the British for spying.
Who turned in Nathan Hale?
cousin Samuel HaleSome accounts state he was recognized by his cousin Samuel Hale, a Loyalist working for the British, who turned him over to authorities. Another version reports British Major Robert Rogers recognized Hale, despite his disguise, in a New York City tavern.
What did Nathan Hale mean by his famous last words?
His last words seem to put him in a place of even higher esteem, due to the fact that he is saying he would completely give himself over to his country, not once, but many times. This show of humility and devotion to the cause and country has been prized as an American value for centuries.
What did Nathan Hale say before he was hanged?
After being led to the gallows, legend holds that Hale was asked if he had any last words and that he replied with these now-famous words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” There is no historical record to prove that Hale actually made this statement, but, if he did, he may have been ...
Who was the first American spy?
Nathan Hale1. Nathan Hale. Often dubbed “America's first spy,” Nathan Hale was a Yale graduate who served in Knowlton's Rangers, a short-lived Continental reconnaissance unit.
Is the show turn based on a true story?
AMC's hit drama, TURN: Washington's Spies, is based on George Washington's Culper Ring which fed intelligence to the colonial forces and dis-information to the British. The show focuses on Abraham Woodhull a leading member of the ring in Setauket, New York.
What happened to Nathan Hale for kids?
Born on June 6, 1755, Nathan Hale was an American soldier who served as a spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, he was sent to New York on a covert mission. However, the British discovered his identity and captured him. He was hanged the day after his arrest.
Who is Nathan Hale in spy school?
Nathan Hale is the first known descendant of the Hale family who worked in espionage. He was a highly respected member of the Central Intelligence Agency in real life.
Overview
Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British and executed. Hale is considered an American hero and in 1985 was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.
Early life and family
Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, in 1755, to Deacon Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong, a descendant of Elder John Strong. He was a great-grandson of Reverend John Hale, an important figure in the Salem witch trials of 1692. He was also the grand-uncle of Edward Everett Hale, a Unitarian minister, writer, and activist noted for social causes including abolitionism. He was the uncle of journalist Nathan Hale, who founded the Boston Daily Advertiser and helped esta…
American Revolutionary War
After the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Hale joined a Connecticut militia unit and was elected first lieutenant within five months. His company participated in the Siege of Boston, but Hale remained behind. It has been suggested that he was unsure as to whether he wanted to fight, or possibly that he was hindered because his teaching contract in New London did not expire until several months later, in July 1775. On July 4, 1775, Hale received a letter from his classmate an…
Legacy
Statues of Hale are based on idealized archetypes; no contemporaneous portraits of him have been found. Documents and letters reveal Hale was an informed, practical, detail-oriented man who planned ahead. Of his appearance and demeanor, fellow soldier Lieutenant Elisha Bostwick wrote that Hale had blue eyes, flaxen blond hair, darker eyebrows, and stood slightly taller than the …
See also
• Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War
• Intelligence operations in the American Revolutionary War
• Nathan Hale Homestead
• Kusunoki Masashige— a Japanese samurai, also famous for his last words before execution
Further reading
• Baker, Mark Allen. "Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut, From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale." Charleston: The History Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1-62619-407-6
• Circian. "The Story of Nathan Hale." Archiving Early America. N.p., 2011. Web. October 3, 2011. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2001_summer_fall/n_hale.html>.
External links
• A Time for Heroes: The Story of Nathan Hale
• "Hale, John" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1892.
• Ortner, Mary J. (2001). "Captain Nathan Hale (1755–1776)". The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
Who Was Nathan Hale?
Early Life
- Hale was born on June 6, 1755, in Coventry, Connecticut, the second son of Richard and Elizabeth Hale. A prominent family, the Hales were devout Puritans and instilled in their children the importance of hard work, religious virtue and education. At 14, Hale was sent off to Yale College with his older brother, Enoch, where he excelled in literature and debate. He graduated with hono…
Military Service
- In July 1775, Hale joined the Connecticut militia and was elected First Lieutenant. Some accounts say he saw battle during the Siege of Boston, while others point out he was still under his teaching obligation. Records do show he was commissioned a captain in General George Washington’s army in January 1776. After the British captured Boston, General Washington moved his army t…
Secret Spy Mission
- Though spying was not considered honorable for a gentleman, Hale volunteered, perhaps out of a sense of duty, or because he hadn’t seen military action up to then. In any case, he was fully aware of the danger: spies were considered illegal combatants and quickly executed. Hale left the American lines at Harlem Heights on September 12, 1776, posing as an itinerant teacher. He tra…
Capture and Execution
- Some accounts state he was recognized by his cousin Samuel Hale, a Loyalist working for the British, who turned him over to authorities. Another version reports British Major Robert Rogers recognized Hale, despite his disguise, in a New York City tavern. Not divulging his revelation, Rogers struck up a conversation with Hale and gained his trust, telling him he was a patriot sym…
Legacy
- After his death, his loyal friends and an anxious American public looking for heroes, transformed this young neophyte warrior into a symbol of self-sacrifice and martyrdom. Many statues and memorials were erected honoring his bravery and service to his country in the years following his death. In 1985, Hale was officially designated Connecticut’s state hero.