NY, USA
Execution of Nathan Hale
September 22, 1776
Captain Nathan Hale, a young Connecticut schoolteacher serving in the Continental Army, was captured behind British lines in New York while on an intelligence mission. He was brought before General Howe and hanged as a spy on September 22, 1776, without trial.
Hale's reported last words — "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" — became one of the Revolution's most famous quotations, though the exact phrasing is disputed. Hale was twenty-one years old. His execution, and the dignity with which he reportedly faced it, made him a patriot martyr and a symbol of the sacrifices demanded by the cause of independence.
People Involved
British commander who captured New York in 1776 through a series of brilliant flanking maneuvers that drove Washington from Long Island, Manhattan, and ultimately out of New York entirely. His failure to destroy Washington's retreating army has been debated by historians for centuries.
Connecticut schoolteacher and Continental officer who volunteered to spy behind British lines in New York. Captured on September 21, 1776, he was hanged the following day without trial. His reported last words — "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" — made him an enduring symbol of patriot sacrifice.