On September 22, 1776, Nathan Hale uttered a phrase that has been permanently etched in American history, and has exemplified the attitude with which Americans serve their country for over two centuries. Before the executioner tightened the rope around his neck, Hale said to the gathered crowd “I only regret that have but one life to lose for my country.” His death is considered valiant and selfless, and is the only certifiable fact about that event.
We don’t know much about Nathan Hale and what happened to him in New York City on and before that fateful day. We have no clear picture of what he looked like - the statuary and portraits, including the one on his U.S. postage stamp, were created posthumously and are based on descriptions from contemporaries. We don’t know where he met his end as several sites throughout New York City claim to have hosted the gallows that day. Most interestingly we don’t even know exactly what he said in his famed speech.
There is no official record of Hale’s final remarks. It is speculated that while the historical record is set on the above wording and sentence, he may have actually spoken a line from the famous play Cato, which has the same sentiment as his quote, or that he said it in a less concise. It is generally agreed that he said something to the effect of what the historical record indicates, but wording will never be certain. His sentiments first made their way to notability when a British officer relayed the news of Hale’s hanging to the Continental Army, imparting the anecdote. As his notion of selfless patriotism was inspiring, it was spread around the Continental Army as a rallying cry and example of the type of service required to defeat the British.
An important questions about the episode is whether Hale deserves the admiration he commands. The answer, like most historical interpretation, is complicated.
Hale volunteered for military service, and left his post as a schoolteacher in New London, Connecticut to travel to New York with his regiment. He then volunteered again, this time for a risky mission as a spy behind enemy lines in occupied New York City. He would stay in New York, gathering intelligence on British troops and plans, and then relay them back to his superiors outside the city. He had been educated at college, and so kept his illicit notes in Latin, most likely as a means of evading suspicion if someone were to see the papers. His mission began in early September of 1776, and wouldn’t last long.
Things went wrong for Hale after New York City erupted in flame on September 21. A huge swath of buildings, from the Battery at the lower tip of Manhattan up to Barclay Street, the current northern tip of the World Trade Center, had completely burned. The British occupying force suspected arson, most likely correctly, and arrested anyone who seemed suspicious or disloyal to the crown. Hale was rounded up among hundreds of others and as he was a military officer out of his uniform and the customs of war dictated it, he would be hanged as a spy.
Questions have been raised as to why Hale allowed himself to be captured so easily, and why he didn’t simply lie about being a spy and the reason for his presence in the city. It would not have been difficult for him to claim he was visiting on school business, or make up any other story to explain his presence. He was not a stranger in a strange land; he was in a city about 100 miles from home where they spoke the same language and were largely similar people. He would have no trouble blending in or looking like a local. Regardless, less than a month after beginning his first mission, and without relaying any intelligence back to his commanders, Hale was hanged as a spy in Manhattan. He was just 21 years old.
Hale has become a historical figure not for his prowess in war or for his ability as an operative, but for his willingness to partake in the dangerous and put himself in harm's way in the service of his country. Whether or not his quote is accurate, it is the general sentiment that rings through history, that his life is just a part of the larger struggle and that he would do it all again if he could in order to help his nation. While we don’t know much about Nathan Hale, aside from that he was an unskilled spy, he is important in American history as the person who inspired a nation to serve with selflessness, honor, and patriotism at a time when it needed that inspiration most.