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Nathan Hale,
American Patriot
"I only
regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"
| 1755-76, American soldier,
hero of the American Revolution, b. Coventry, Conn. A young
schoolteacher when the Revolution broke out, he was
commissioned an officer in the Connecticut militia, served in
the siege of Boston, then went to take part in operations in
New York. He volunteered for the dangerous mission of getting
information about the British forces on Long Island, where he
went in the natural disguise of a schoolmaster. He was
discovered, captured, and hanged without trial. He is
remembered especially for the statement he is said to have
uttered on the gallows, I only regret that I have but one life
to lose for my country.
See biography by H. P. Johnston (1914); Morton Pennypacker, General
Washington's Spies on Long Island and in New York (1939).
Captain
Nathan Hale
By
Rev. Edward Everett Hale
(1755 - 1776)
 Nathan
Hale, a martyr soldier of the American Revolution, was born in
Coventry, Conn., June 6, 1755. When but little more than
twenty-one years old he was hanged, by order of General
William Howe, as a spy, in the city of New York, on September
22, 1776.
At
the great centennial celebration of the Revolution, and the
part which the State of Connecticut bore in it, an immense
assembly of the people of Connecticut, on the heights of
Groton, took measures for the erection of a statue in Hales
honor. Their wish has been carried out by their agents in the
government of the State. A bronze statue of Hale is in the
State Capitol. Another bronze statue of him has been erected
in the front of the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford. Another
is in the city of New York.
Nathan
Hales father was Richard Hale, who had emigrated to
Coventry, from Newbury, Mass., in 1746, and had married
Elizabeth, the daughter of Joseph Strong. By her he had twelve
children, of whom Nathan was the sixth.
Richard
Hale was a prosperous and successful farmer. He sent to Yale
College at one time his two sons, Enoch and Nathan, who had
been born within two years of each other. This college was
then under the direction of Dr. Daggett. Both the young men
enjoyed study, and Nathan Hale, at the exercises of
Commencement Day took what is called a pert, which shows that
he was among the thirteen scholars of highest rank in his
class.
From
the record of the college society to which he belonged, it
appears that he was interested in their theatrical
performances. These were not discouraged by the college
government, and made a recognized part of the amusements of
the college and the town. Many of the lighter plays brought
forward on the English stage were thus produced by the pupils
of Yale College for the entertainment of the people of New
Haven.
When
he graduated, at the age of eighteen, he probably intended at
some time to become a Christian minister, as his brother Enoch
did. But, as was almost a custom of the time, he began his
active life as a teacher in the public schools, and early in
1774 accepted an appointment as the teacher of the Union
Grammar School, a school maintained by the gentlemen of New
London, Conn., for the higher education of their children. Of
thirty-two pupils, he says, ten are Latiners and all but
one of the rest are writers.
In
his commencement address Hale had considered the question
whether the higher education of women were not neglected. And,
in the arrangement of the Union School at New London, it was
determined that between the hours of five and seven in the
morning, he should teach a class of twenty young ladies
in the studies which occupied their brothers at a later hour.
He
was thus engaged in the year 1774. The whole country was alive
with the movements and discussions which came to a crisis in
the battle of Lexington the next year. Hale, though not of
age, was enrolled in the militia and was active in the
military organization of the town.
So
soon as the news of Lexington and Concord reached New London,
a town-meeting was called. At this meeting, this young man,
not yet of age, was one of the speakers. Let us march
immediately, he said, and never lay down our arms until
we obtain our independence. He assembled his school as
usual the next day, but only to take leave of his scholars.
He gave them earnest counsel, prayed with them, shook each
by hand, bade them farewell.
It
is said that there is no other record so early as this in
which the word independence was publicly spoken. It
would seem as if the uncalculating courage of a boy of twenty
were needed to break the spell which still gave dignity to
colonial submission.
He
was commissioned as First Lieutenant in the Seventh
Connecticut regiment, and resigned his place as teacher. The
first duty assigned to the regiment was in neighborhood of New
London, where, probably, they were perfecting their
discipline. On September 14, 1775, they were ordered by
Washington to Cambridge. There they were placed on the left
wing of his army, and made their camp at the foot of Winter
Hill. This was the post which commanded the passage from
Charlestown, one of the only two roads by which the English
could march out from Boston. Here they remained until the next
spring. Hale himself gives the most interesting details of
that great victory by which Washington and his officers
changed that force of minute-men, by which they had overawed
Boston in 1775, into a regular army. Hale re-enlisted as many
of the old men as possible, and then went back to Coventry to
engage, from his old school companions, soldiers for the war.
After a month of such effort at home, he came back with a body
of recruits to Roxbury.
On
January 30th his regiment was removed to the right wing in
Roxbury. Here they joined in the successful night enterprise
of March 4th and 5th, by which the English troops were driven
from Boston.
So
soon as the English army had left the country, Washington knew
that their next point of attack would be New York. Most of his
army was, therefore, sent there, and Webbs regiment among
the rest. They were at first assigned to the Canada army, but
because they had a good many seafaring men, were reserved for
service near New York, where their web-footed character
served them well more than once that summer. Hale marched with
the regiment to New London, whence they all went by water to
New York. On that critical night, when the whole army was
moved across to New York after the defeat at Brooklyn, the
regiment rendered effective service.
It
was at this period that Hale planned an attack, made by
members of his own company, to set fire to the frigate
Phoenix. The frigate was saved, but one of her tenders and
four cannons and six swivels were taken. The men received the
thanks, praises, and rewards of Washington, and the frigate,
with her companions, not caring to risk such attacks again,
retired to the Narrows. Soon after this little brush with the
enemy, Colonel Knowlton, one of the Connecticut regiments,
organized a special corps, which was known as Knowltons
Rangers. On the rolls of their own regiments the officers and
men are spoken of as detached on command. They received
their orders direct from Washington and Putnam, and were kept
close in front of the enemy, watching his movements from the
American line in Harlem. It was in this service, on September
15th, that Knowltons Rangers, with three Virginia
companies, drove the English troops from their position in an
open fight. It was a spirited action, which was a real victory
for the attacking force. Knowlton and Leitch, the leaders,
were both killed. In his general orders Washington spoke of
Knowlton as a gallant and brave officer who would have been an
honor to any country.
But
Hale, alas! was not fighting at Knowltons side. He was
indeed detached for special service. Washington had been
driven up the island of New York, and was holding his place
with the utmost difficulty. On September 6th he wrote, We
have not been able to obtain the least information as to the
enemys plans. In sheer despair at the need of better
information then the Tories of New York City would give him,
the great commander consulted his council, and at their
direction summoned Knowlton to ask for some volunteer of
intelligence, who would find his way into the English lines,
and bring back some tidings that could be relied upon.
Knowlton summoned a number of officers, and stated to them the
wishes of their great chief. The appeal was received with dead
silence. It is said that Knowlton personally addressed a
non-commissioned officer, a Frenchman, who was an old solider.
He did so only to receive the natural reply, I am willing
to be shot, but not to be hung. Knowlton felt that he must
report his failure to Washington. But Nathan Hale, his
youngest captain, broke the silence. I will undertake
it, he said. He had come late to the meeting. He was pale
from recent sickness. But he saw an opportunity to serve, and
he did the duty which came next at hand.
William
Hull, afterward the major-general who commanded at Detroit,
had been Hales college classmate. He remonstrated with his
friend on the danger of the task, and the ignominy which would
attend its failure. He said to him that it was not in the
line of his duty, and that he was of too frank and open a
temper to act successfully the part of a spy, or to face its
dangers, which would probably lead to a disgraceful death.
Hale replied, I wish to be useful, and every kind of
service necessary to the public good becomes honorable by
being necessary. If the exigencies of my country demand a
peculiar service, its claim to perform that service are
imperious. These are the last words of his which can be
cited until those which he spoke at the moment of his death.
He promised Hull to take arguments into consideration, but
Hull never heard from him again.
In
the second week of September he left the camp for Stamford
with Stephen Hempstead, a sergeant in Webbs regiment, from
whom we have the last direct account of his journey. With
Hempstead and Asher Wright, who was his servant in camp, he
left his uniform and some other articles of property. He
crossed to Long Island in citizens dress, and, as Hempstead
thought, took him his college diploma, meaning to assume the
aspect of a Connecticut schoolmaster visiting New York in the
hope to establish himself. He landed near Huntington, or
Oyster Bay, and directed the boatman to return at a time fixed
by him, the 20th of September. He made his way into New York,
and there, for a week or more apparently, prosecuted his
inquiries. He returned on the day fixed, and awaited his boat.
It appeared, as he thought; and he made a signal from the
shore. Alas! he had mistaken the boat. She was from an English
frigate, which lay screened by a point of woods, and had come
in for water. Hale attempted to retrace his steps, but was too
late. He was seized and examined. Hidden in the soles of his
shoes were his memoranda, in the Latin language. They
compromised him at once. He was carried on board the frigate,
and sent to New York the same day, well guarded.
It
was at an unfortunate moment, if anyone expected tenderness
from General Howe. Hale landed while the city was in the
terror of the great conflagration of September 21st. In that
fire nearly a quarter of the town was burned down. The English
supposed, rightly or not, that the fire had been begun by the
Americans. The bells had been taken from the churches by order
of the Provincial Congress. The fire-engines were out of
order, and for a time it seemed impossible to check the
flames. Two hundred persons were sent to jail upon the
supposition that they were incendiaries. It is in the midst of
such confusion that Hale is taken to General Howes
head-quarters, and there he meets his doom.
No
testimony could be stronger against him than the papers on his
person. He was not there to prevaricate, and he told them his
rank and name. There was no trial, and Howe at once ordered
that he should be hanged the next morning. Worse than this,
had he known it, he was to be hanged by William Cunningham,
the Provost-Major, a man whose brutality, through the war
disgraced the British army. It is a satisfaction to know that
Cunningham was hanged for his deserts in England, not many
years after.
Hale
was confined for the night of September 21st in the greenhouse
of the garden of Howes head-quarters. This place was known
as the Beekman Mansion, at Turtle Bay. This house was standing
until within a few years.
Early
the next day he was led to his death. On the morning of the
execution, said Captain Montresor, an English officer,
my station being near the fatal spot, I requested the
Provost-Marshal to permit the prisoner to sit in my marquee
while he was making the necessary preparations. Captain Hale
entered. He asked for writing materials, which I furnished
him. He wrote two letters; one to his mother and one to a
brother officer. The Provost-Marshal destroyed the letters,
and assigned a reason that the rebels should not know that
they had a man in their army who could die with so much
firmness.
Hale
asked for a Bible, but his request was refused. He was marched
out by a guard and hanged upon an apple-tree in Rutgerss
orchard. The place was near the present intersection of East
Broadway and Market Streets. Cunningham asked him to make his
dying speech and confession. I only regret, he
said, that I have but one life to lose for my country.
Additional
Links:
http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/history/nathan.html
http://www.seanet.com/Users/pamur/nhale.html
http://www.lihistory.com/4/hs413a.htm
http://earlyamerica.com/review/summer/quintumviri.html
http://earlyamerica.com/review/2001_summer_fall/n_hale.html
http://www.angelfire.com/my/zelime/
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctnhmdar/
http://ursamajor.hartnet.org/als/nathanhale/ |
- Cenotaph
of Nathan Hale - Photos from Nathan Hale Cemetery in Coventry,
Connecticut.
- Nathan
Hale, American Revolution Patriot - Nathan Hale, a martyr
soldier of the American Revolution, was born in Coventry, Conn.,
June 6, 1755. When but little more than twenty-one years old he
was hanged, by order of General William Howe, as a spy, in the
city of New York, on September 22, 1776.
- Nathan
Hale: Failed Spy, Superb Patriot - In the pantheon of
revolutionary heroes there stands a flaxen-haired, blue-eyed young
man, a handsome former schoolteacher, fair of skin and athletic in
build, full of hope and promise, fated for an untimely death. He
was Nathan Hale.
- Nathan
Hale, Spy - Biographical sketch.
- The
Quintumviri - An extensive biography on this Revolutionary
American martyr Nathan Hale.
- A
Short Biography of Captain Nathan Hale - Actually, a rather
extensive look at the life and military history of Nathan Hale.
- The
State Hero: Nathan Hale - Biographical information on the
individual who is Connecticut's State Hero.
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A Short Biography of Captain Nathan Hale
(1755--1776)
 Nathan Hale was a sober, serious, young man who
was extremely well educated for his day. Although there are many
contemporary accounts about his appearance and personality, I have never
encountered anything negative; indeed, he was vividly remembered and
admired--even 50 years after his death. The themes that come across are
that he was kind, gentle, religious, intelligent, athletic, good looking
and "the idol of all his acquaintances." Nathan had fair skin
and hair, light blue eyes, stood around six feet tall and was very
athletic. No wonder it was said that all the girls in New Haven were in
love with him.
He was born in 1755--the sixth of ten surviving
siblings--into two very respectable New England families. His parents,
Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong, were staunch Puritans who stressed
religious devotion, work ethic and education. His father, a prosperous
farmer and a deacon of the church in Coventry CT, was considered a
pillar of the community. Nathan's early years were marred by sickness
but he eventually grew into a strong, healthy child with a quick mind.
Both his mother and grandmother encouraged his education and he was
tutored by the local minister, Rev. Dr. Joseph Huntington who greatly
influenced his love of learning.
Both Nathan and his older brother, Enoch, were
sent to Yale College in 1769 at the ages of 14 and 16, respectively. At
the time, Yale provided a Spartan life for its students and a thorough,
disciplined education in religion and the classics. Its main purpose was
to prepare young men for the ministry; however, this was not required
and many of them chose other occupations such as law or business. During
his college years, Nathan was exposed to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of
New Haven and to new and interesting ideas of the time. Both he and
Enoch belonged to a secret literary fraternity (Linonia) that held
weekly meetings to discuss the issues of the day, including astronomy,
literature, and the ethics of slavery. The meetings were held in the
student's rooms at New College. This large brick dormitory, where Nathan
and Enoch roomed, still stands on the Yale campus (Connecticut Hall).
Nathan was very active in Linonia,
participating in numerous debates, plays, parties and speech-making. He
helped form a secular library at Yale and held numerous offices in the
fraternity, including Chancellor. Nathan graduated with first honors at
the age of eighteen, participating in the 1773 commencement debate:
"Whether the education of daughters be not without any just reason,
more neglected than that of sons."
Like many young graduates, Hale's initial job
was teaching school--first in East Haddam and then in New London, CT.
The purpose of this temporary work was for the young men to make a
living and to decide what to do in life. In rural East Haddam, however,
Hale appears to have been lonely, missing the lively company of his
college friends and complaining of his lack of mail. He was delighted
when, a few months later, he was offered a fantastic job with the
prestigious "Union School" in a bustling seaport town on the
Connecticut coast.
New London was definitely more to his
liking--it even had a newspaper, liberal in character and published by
Timothy Green, a proprietor of the Union School. Nathan's classes
consisted of about 30 young men who were taught Latin, writing,
mathematics, and the classics. In 1774, he also conducted a summer
morning class from 5 to 7 AM for young ladies. That the young ladies of
New London were willing to attend a 5 AM class in the classics was
perhaps more a tribute to the schoolmaster's good looks that any
attraction to the subject at hand. Nathan Hale has been posthumously
linked with many ladies and several romances have been contrived by
their descendants and fanciful historians. Although he never appears to
have been serious about marriage, during 1774 he was teased by two
college friends about an infatuation with his landlord's niece,
Elizabeth Adams. Little is known about this relationship or any of the
other romances that are vaguely attributed to Hale.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Nathan
really liked teaching and his mild manner of imparting knowledge was
greatly appreciated by both students and parents alike. Consequently, in
late 1774 he was offered a permanent teaching position as the Master of
the Union School. After some soul-searching, he decided to accept and to
become a professional school teacher. Also in 1774, like many patriotic
young men, Hale joined the local militia and was elected 1st sergeant by
his comrades--the highest rank of any new recruit. Apparently his
enthusiasm and military talent was also being recognized by his peers.
His time in New London must have been happy and
stimulating. While his amiability made him many delightful acquaintances
among the town's best families, he also continued several close
friendships with his former Yale classmates. Their letters that still
survive tell of the joys, frustrations and boredom experienced by young
people on the threshold of life and painfully impatient for it all to
unfold. By the spring of 1775, then, the civic-minded Nathan Hale had
many interesting friends, a job he enjoyed, perhaps a girl friend (or
more) and an enjoyable life in a bustling cosmopolitan seaport city.
Everything was going his way.
When war broke out in April, many chapters of
Connecticut militia rushed to Massachusetts to help their neighbors
during the Siege of Boston and at Bunker Hill. Hale's militia marched
immediately but he remained behind--perhaps due to his teaching contract
which did not expire until June. Or perhaps he was unsure. Contemporary
letters tell of the conflict that went on in his friends' minds,
doubtless mirrored in his own--to join the new American Army and fight
or to keep quiet and wait. This was not the clear decision we all see
today and these young professionals had a lot to lose.
In early July, Nathan received a heartfelt
letter from one of his best friends and fellow classmate--Benjamin
Tallmadge. Always the pragmatist, Tallmadge had gone to Cambridge, MA to
see the siege for himself. [BTW--Tallmadge would later became famous as
a RW soldier, spymaster, businessman and US Congressman.] Upon his
return, Ben poured out his heart in a letter to Nathan Hale dated July
4, 1775--the last year that date would be just another day. After
analyzing the pros and cons of joining up, Tallmadge finally told Nathan
that, in spite of his friend's commitment to teaching, "Was I in
your condition...I think the more extensive Service would be my choice.
Our holy Religion, the honour of our God, a glorious country, & a
happy constitution is what we have to defend."
The day after receiving Tallmadge's letter,
Nathan accepted a commission as 1st lieutenant in Col. Charles Webb's
7th CT regiment. He resigned his teaching job with great regret and it
was said that his students were distressed at his leaving. After a last
visit to Yale and several weeks recruiting men for his company, Nathan
Hale marched with his regiment for Cambridge, MA--off for a great
adventure.
At the Siege of Boston, Nathan kept a daily
diary which records the mostly tedious and mundane activities of a young
officer on the siege line. He enjoyed military life and threw himself
wholeheartedly into the duties of a company commander, trying to be the
best officer he could, yet yielding to and clearly enjoying the new,
macho experiences of camp life. Like most young soldiers, he complained
about his superiors and worried about his subordinates--on one occasion
offering his own salary to his men if they would stay in the army
another month. Still--he told his friends--he was enthusiastic, happy to
be there and wouldn't accept leave even if he could get one (which he
couldn't).
When the army was reorganized in January, 1776,
Nathan received a captain's commission in the new 19th CT regiment
and--to his credit--several men asked to be under his command. In the
spring of 1776, Washington's army moved to Manhattan in an attempt to
prevent the British from taking New York City. Nathan spent almost six
months there, building fortifications and preparing for the inevitable
battle. In New York it was commented that he cared very much about his
men's welfare, even visiting them and praying with them when they were
ill.
When the British invaded Long Island, Hale
(after a year in the army) had still not seen combat. During the
disastrous Battle of Long Island (August 27, 1776), his regiment manned
the forts which were never attacked. Thus after a year in the army,
Nathan had mostly kept records, supervised guard duty and drawn supplies
(although there is one unconfirmed report that he led a daring night
assault on a British sloop, stealing some much needed supplies).
Anyway, around September 1, 1776, with the
British in command of Western Long Island and Washington's army trying
to defend Manhattan, GW formed an elite, "green baret" group
of New England Rangers. They were placed under the command of Lt. Col.
Thomas Knowlton, who, having distinguished himself at Bunker Hill, was
one of GW's best officers. Hale was invited to command one of the four
companies--whose job was forward reconnaissance--to patrol the
Westchester and Manhattan shorelines and other points around Hell Gate.
Since he could never defend all of Manhattan,
GW desperately needed to know the probable site of the upcoming
invasion. At Knowlton's request, Hale volunteered to go behind enemy
lines on Long Island to report on British troop movements. It is
possible that he was also sent into New York City to "make
discoveries". It should be remembered that in addition to being
extremely dangerous, spying was considered highly dishonorable and
unworthy of a gentleman (besides, you could get hung). Hale's best army
buddy, Captain (later General) Wm. Hull, tried hard to talk him out of
it but Hale justified his mission by saying that any task that was
necessary for the "public good" became honorable. Most likely
he also wanted to do something worthwhile for a change (with a bit of
adventure added in).
Hale crossed the L.I. sound from Norwalk, CT
and spent several days behind enemy lines disguised as an unemployed
schoolmaster. Unfortunately, before he could return, the British invaded
Manhattan at Kip's Bay (East River at 34th St.), taking most of the
island on September 15th and 16th. His mission negated, Hale decided to
cross into British-occupied New York City presumably to gain whatever
intelligence he could for Washington, who was now entrenched behind the
bluffs at Harlem Heights.
On September 20th, New York City was set on
fire, causing confusion, rioting and a heightened alert for anyone
suspicious. By this time, Hale is thought to have returned to Long
Island, probably trying to get back to LI Sound and a friendly boat. On
the night of September 21, he was somehow stopped (perhaps near Flushing
Bay) by a company of Queen's Rangers led by Lt.Col. Robert Rogers (of
Northwest Passage fame). Hale was brought for questioning before the
British commander, General Wm. Howe, who had just moved into the Beekman
Mansion (once located near 51St and 1st Avenue).
Intelligence information was found on Hale's
person and he freely admitted his identity and the purpose of his
mission. Rumors later flew that Hale had been betrayed (or perhaps only
identified) by his first cousin, Samuel Hale, who was a Tory working for
General Howe. Samuel later denied it, and his role in the affair, if
any, has been long debated but never proven. A tradition says that
Nathan spent the night confined in a greenhouse on the estate and that
he was denied a minister or even a bible by the provost marshall.
We do know that the next morning, Sunday,
September 22, 1776 at 11:00 AM, Nathan Hale was marched north, about a
mile up the post road to the Park of Artillery. It was located next to a
public house called the Dove Tavern, about 5 1/2 miles from the city.
This mileage along the old Boston Post Road corresponds closely with the
traditional site of the Dove Tavern at the NW corner of present 66th St.
and 3rd Avenue. After making a "sensible and spirited speech"
to those few in attendance, the former schoolteacher and Yale graduate
was executed by hanging--an extremely ignominious and horrible fate to
one of his time and class.
Whether Hale said that he only regretted having
one life to lose for his country has been debated. The quote comes from
a British Engineer, John Montresor, who kindly sheltered Nathan in his
marquee while they were making preparations for the hanging. Hale
entered and appeared calm, asking Montresor for writing materials. He
then wrote two letters--one to his favorite brother, Enoch, and one to
his military commander (these letters were probably destroyed by the
provost marshall, Wm. Cunningham, who later gained possession of them).
Captain Montresor witnessed the hanging and was touched by the event and
the patriot's last words.
As fate would have it, Montresor delivered a
message from Howe to Washington that very afternoon and told Alexander
Hamilton (then a captain of artillery) about Hale's fate. Hale's friend,
Captain Hull, went with the delegation returning GW's answer to Howe
(under a white flag) and managed to speak with Montresor. The British
engineer told Hull that Nathan had impressed everyone with his sense of
gentle dignity and his "consciousness of rectitude and high
intentions." Montresor quoted Nathan's words on the gallows as
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my
country." This elegant statement, doubtless paraphrased from
Addison's popular play, "Cato", is the quotation best
remembered from the execution of Nathan Hale.
I think that Hale was trying to tell the
British that his cause still had great merit and that someone like
himself--intelligent, educated and decent--was willing to die for it
"without regret". It should be put in prospective that the
"cause" was really in bad shape in September, 1776. The
much-defeated and demoralized rebel army had been chased to upper
Manhattan, ripe for total destruction by the vastly superior British
forces. Its soldiers were deserting in droves now--sometimes whole
companies at once--and the end seemed only a matter of time. But Hale
told the British straight--standing by the gallows--that his
"country" was still worthwhile and worth dying for. The enemy
was duly impressed, seeing that most of them still considered the rebels
to be a dirty rag-tag bunch of contentious rabble.
So, anyway...an insignificant schoolteacher who
never wrote anything important, never owned any property, never had a
permanent job, never married or had children, never fought in a battle
and who failed in his final mission--made history and is known today by
every American schoolchild. All this because of his actions during the
last few seconds of this life. I only state this fact because of the
irony, not to disparage Hale. I greatly admire his courage in accepting
a horrible mission (both dishonorable and dangerous) that he did *not*
have to do. Then he had the cool and presence of mind to tell the
British off, literally in the shadow of the gallows. I don't know what
exactly he said, but it must have been impressive and Hale deserves to
be remembered for his genuine dedication, his courage, and his
willingness to pay the price with honor and dignity.
Nathan Hale's body was left hanging for several
days on the post road near the site of his execution and later was
buried in an unmarked grave. He was 21 years old. |
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