Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale in 1773 and taught school until 1775, when he was made an officer in the Connecticut militia. During the Revolutionary War he enlisted in the Continental Army. He fought in the siege of Boston and in defense of New York City. In September 1776 Hale volunteered to gather information on British forces on Long Island while disguised as a schoolteacher. He was captured by the British near the end of his mission and was hanged the next day. His last words were reported to be, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
