It was September 22, 1776, 247 years ago today, when Nathen Hale, but 21 years of age, was executed by the British Forces in New York City.
Captain Nathan Hale
When the Revolutionary War broke out, Hale volunteered in 1775 with his five brothers and became a member of the 7th Connecticut Regiment as a first lieutenant. Prior he jouned the Continental Army, in 1773 at the age of 18, Hale graduated from Yale College with honors, and he became a teacher in New London, CT.
General George Washington facing off against British General William Howe was defeated at the battle of Brooklyn Heights and had moved his forces into Manhattan as the British took control of Long Island.
Washington had established an elite reconnaissance group, known as Knowlton’s Rangers and placed the group under the command of their namesake, Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton. Having been defeated by Howe, Washington, via Knowlton, asked for a volunteer to gather information on Howe’s British troops on Long Island.
Hale the Volunteer
Hale, a member of Knowlton’s Rangers, by then a captain, volunteered. However it would mean to go undercover, dressed in civilian attire and cross through the British lines to gather the desired information. Hale was the only volunteer from Rangers.
Hale, disguised himself as a teacher, carried with him his Yale diploma and crafted a cover story for his action, “he was a teacher looking for employment.” On September 15, he passed through the British lines, traveling Long Island and collecting the desired information over the course of the next six days.
On Saturday, September 21, Hale was discovered making his way through the British lines back to the American lines. On his person was found the information Washington desired, British movements, and fortifications. It is reported that a cousin of Hale’s, a British sympathizer, recognized Hale, and his schoolmaster cover story was pierced. Howe ordered the execution of Hale.
The next day, Sunday, September 22, the British hung Hale, and his final words would live on, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Central Intelligence Agency
There is a plaque which hangs on a building at 3rd Avenue and 66th Street in Manhattan which claims to be the location of Hale’s execution (there are other locales within Manhattan that have also been identified as the location).
While Hale’s final resting place is unknown, there are numerous monuments including one at the Central Intelligence Agency and another in Coventry, CT, where Hale was born on June 6, 1755.
The CIA on June 6, 1973, unveiled a statue of Nathan Hale on the 200th anniversary of Hale’s graduation from Yale College. The statue at the CIA is a replica of the 1914 statue located at Yale University.
CIA operations officer have, since 1973, placed a quarter or 76 cents at the foot of the statue prior to embarking on assignment. The quarter is placed head-up so that Washington, for whom Hale served, is visible. While the 76 cents in homage to the year of his execution, 1776. The superstition is that such will ensure the officer and family safe passage and success.
