Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut on June 6th, 1755 as the sixth child of twelve children. Nathan had fair skin and hair, and light blue eyes. His parents, Richard Hale, a farmer and deacon of the church, and Elizabeth Strong were very religious, as Puritans. They stressed the importance of religious devotion, work ethic and education. He was really sick when he was young, for his first few years, but then he grew up to become a strong, quick minded child. He grew up on his parent’s farm, all the while being tutored by Reverend Joseph Huntington, which helped him begin the love of learning. Nathan left his parent’s farm with his brother Enoch, to attend Yale University at the young age of fourteen and sixteen. Yale had a disciplined education in religion and classics. Yale helped the young men get ready for the ministry, but most went into law or business. Both Nathan and Enoch belonged to this secret literary society called Linonia.
Linonia had secret meetings each week to discuss issues, like astronomy, ethics of slavery, literature and mathematics. The meetings were held in each of the student’s, who attended, dorm rooms. They had numerous debates, speeches, plays, parties, of which Nathan and Enoch attended them all. He also studied with Benjamin Tallmadge, who would supposedly influence Nathan’s decisions later in life. Nathan graduated at the age of eighteen with high honors.Nathan’s first and initial job was teaching at East Haddam. He taught regular classes, but offered them to the women of the town he was in. Then, a little later, he was offered a job at a “Union School.”, on the Connecticut coast in the town of New London. New London had a newspaper, written by Timothy Green, who worked along with the school. He had about thirty people in his class, all of them men, whom he taught Latin, mathematics, literature and writing.
He also had summer morning classes from five to seven a.m. for the women. Most women attended because of Nathan’s good looks, rather then learning. Nathan was never serious about marriage, but he had several romances with some of the women. He really liked teaching and his knowledge was appreciated by the students and parents alike, he finally became Master of the Union School, as his permanent position, in late 1774. Then, in 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out.
Nathan joined up with the Connecticut militia and was first lieutenant. Besides his enlistment, he didn’t participate in any combat, but he did take the military’s side in community meetings. After the Siege of Boston, Nathan received a letter from his former college classmate, Benjamin Tallmadge. Tallmadge encouraged him to become a more active member of the Connecticut militia. With that, Nathan agreed, resigning from his teaching job, and he accepted the commission of first lieutenant in the 7th CT regiment in Stamford, Connecticut, under the leadership of Colonel Charles Webb. The regiment marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts.While they were in Cambridge, the regiment was part of the left wing of General George Washington’s army on September 14th, 1775. They camped at Winter Hill, where they could control the routes leading to Charlestown. Charlestown was the only way the British could escape. Then the regiment was moved to the right wing in Roxbury where they successfully drove the British out of Boston.Nathan kept a diary of which he wrote in daily, of the military activities he participated in. And he enjoyed it so much, that when his friends wanted to leave, he would pay them his salary so they would stay another month. He was trying to be the best officer he could. He was happy to be in the army and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Then, in the early spring of 1776, the army moved to Manhattan, to stop the British from taking New York City.
The regiment was still under General George Washington’s command when Washington called for a volunteer to spy on the British, going behind their enemy lines and see where the next battle location would be. Nathan stepped right up to the job, seeing it as a patriotic opportunity, on September 8, 1776. On September 12, Nathan went behind enemy lines disguised as a Dutch schoolteacher. He was putting his life at risk, because, should he be caught, he would have to forfeit his own life. Unfortunately, New York City became captured by the British on September 15 and Washington’s army had to retreat to the north end of Manhattan Island.
And Nathan still stayed in Manhattan, in the southern tip of the island that the British occupied. On September, 21st, New York was set on fire and a quarter of the island was destroyed. After that, 200 Americans were captured by the British, while Nathan was caught near Queens, New York, where he was waiting for his escape rendezvous. He was taken to the British headquarters under heavy guard. Nathan was questioned by General William Howe and they found historical records, drawings of the British fortifications, plus numbers and positions.Nathan didn't deny being a spy for his regiment, admitting his identity and his intention of his mission. He was now sentenced to be hung, which was the punishment of all spies caught by the enemy. While he was waiting, he asked for a Bible or a visit from a clergyman, but his requests were denied. He then asked for writing material and wrote two letters, one to his older brother, Enoch and his military commander. After his death, the letters were destroyed. On the day of September 22, 1776, Nathan was walked to his death on the Post Road to the Park of Artillery where he was supposed to be hung, where the gallows were. Right before he was supposed to be hung, Nathan said these famous last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to live for my country.” And he was hung for spying. He died at age 21. One witness, a British soldier, John Monstresor, heard Nathan say those exact words. And John said that Nathan had said over and over again to the American officer, William Hull. William then told everyone about Nathan’s last words and it went through the colonies. It ended up as being an inspiration to everyone and helped with the dedication of every patriot to come. Even though Nathan didn’t participate in most military actions, he was still able and willing to take on a dangerous mission.Nathan’s bravery facing execution earned him the place as a martyred hero in the American Revolution and his last words will still be remembered throughout the years, throughout history, spurning patriotism.
Sources:
http://www.timepage.org/spl/nhale.html
http://totallyhistory.com/nathan-hale/
Source for picture below:
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=601944&imageID=1249722&word=Hale%2C%20Nathan%2C%201755-1776&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&sort=&total=28&num=0&imgs=20&pNum=&pos=8http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=748&tbm=isch&tbnid=rLPdEwgh2BigmM:&imgrefurl=http://ctmonuments.net/2012/03/nathan-hale-statue-new-haven/&docid=NE5Q_wL0s8HUhM&imgurl=http://ctmonuments.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/HaleYale2.jpg&w=2287&h=1525&ei=_W-TUu6HMYvNsQTg94D4Bg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=906&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=234&&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:85&tx=123&ty=54
Below is a word search about Nathan Hale.
Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut on June 6th, 1755 as the sixth child of twelve children. Nathan had fair skin and hair, and light blue eyes. His parents, Richard Hale, a farmer and deacon of the church, and Elizabeth Strong were very religious, as Puritans. They stressed the importance of religious devotion, work ethic and education. He was really sick when he was young, for his first few years, but then he grew up to become a strong, quick minded child. He grew up on his parent’s farm, all the while being tutored by Reverend Joseph Huntington, which helped him begin the love of learning. Nathan left his parent’s farm with his brother Enoch, to attend Yale University at the young age of fourteen and sixteen. Yale had a disciplined education in religion and classics. Yale helped the young men get ready for the ministry, but most went into law or business. Both Nathan and Enoch belonged to this secret literary society called Linonia.
Linonia had secret meetings each week to discuss issues, like astronomy, ethics of slavery, literature and mathematics. The meetings were held in each of the student’s, who attended, dorm rooms. They had numerous debates, speeches, plays, parties, of which Nathan and Enoch attended them all. He also studied with Benjamin Tallmadge, who would supposedly influence Nathan’s decisions later in life. Nathan graduated at the age of eighteen with high honors.Nathan’s first and initial job was teaching at East Haddam. He taught regular classes, but offered them to the women of the town he was in. Then, a little later, he was offered a job at a “Union School.”, on the Connecticut coast in the town of New London. New London had a newspaper, written by Timothy Green, who worked along with the school. He had about thirty people in his class, all of them men, whom he taught Latin, mathematics, literature and writing.
He also had summer morning classes from five to seven a.m. for the women. Most women attended because of Nathan’s good looks, rather then learning. Nathan was never serious about marriage, but he had several romances with some of the women. He really liked teaching and his knowledge was appreciated by the students and parents alike, he finally became Master of the Union School, as his permanent position, in late 1774. Then, in 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out.
Nathan joined up with the Connecticut militia and was first lieutenant. Besides his enlistment, he didn’t participate in any combat, but he did take the military’s side in community meetings. After the Siege of Boston, Nathan received a letter from his former college classmate, Benjamin Tallmadge. Tallmadge encouraged him to become a more active member of the Connecticut militia. With that, Nathan agreed, resigning from his teaching job, and he accepted the commission of first lieutenant in the 7th CT regiment in Stamford, Connecticut, under the leadership of Colonel Charles Webb. The regiment marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts.While they were in Cambridge, the regiment was part of the left wing of General George Washington’s army on September 14th, 1775. They camped at Winter Hill, where they could control the routes leading to Charlestown. Charlestown was the only way the British could escape. Then the regiment was moved to the right wing in Roxbury where they successfully drove the British out of Boston.Nathan kept a diary of which he wrote in daily, of the military activities he participated in. And he enjoyed it so much, that when his friends wanted to leave, he would pay them his salary so they would stay another month. He was trying to be the best officer he could. He was happy to be in the army and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Then, in the early spring of 1776, the army moved to Manhattan, to stop the British from taking New York City.
The regiment was still under General George Washington’s command when Washington called for a volunteer to spy on the British, going behind their enemy lines and see where the next battle location would be. Nathan stepped right up to the job, seeing it as a patriotic opportunity, on September 8, 1776. On September 12, Nathan went behind enemy lines disguised as a Dutch schoolteacher. He was putting his life at risk, because, should he be caught, he would have to forfeit his own life. Unfortunately, New York City became captured by the British on September 15 and Washington’s army had to retreat to the north end of Manhattan Island.
And Nathan still stayed in Manhattan, in the southern tip of the island that the British occupied. On September, 21st, New York was set on fire and a quarter of the island was destroyed. After that, 200 Americans were captured by the British, while Nathan was caught near Queens, New York, where he was waiting for his escape rendezvous. He was taken to the British headquarters under heavy guard. Nathan was questioned by General William Howe and they found historical records, drawings of the British fortifications, plus numbers and positions.Nathan didn't deny being a spy for his regiment, admitting his identity and his intention of his mission. He was now sentenced to be hung, which was the punishment of all spies caught by the enemy. While he was waiting, he asked for a Bible or a visit from a clergyman, but his requests were denied. He then asked for writing material and wrote two letters, one to his older brother, Enoch and his military commander. After his death, the letters were destroyed. On the day of September 22, 1776, Nathan was walked to his death on the Post Road to the Park of Artillery where he was supposed to be hung, where the gallows were. Right before he was supposed to be hung, Nathan said these famous last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to live for my country.” And he was hung for spying. He died at age 21. One witness, a British soldier, John Monstresor, heard Nathan say those exact words. And John said that Nathan had said over and over again to the American officer, William Hull. William then told everyone about Nathan’s last words and it went through the colonies. It ended up as being an inspiration to everyone and helped with the dedication of every patriot to come. Even though Nathan didn’t participate in most military actions, he was still able and willing to take on a dangerous mission.Nathan’s bravery facing execution earned him the place as a martyred hero in the American Revolution and his last words will still be remembered throughout the years, throughout history, spurning patriotism.
Sources:
http://www.timepage.org/spl/nhale.html
http://totallyhistory.com/nathan-hale/
Source for picture below:
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=601944&imageID=1249722&word=Hale%2C%20Nathan%2C%201755-1776&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&sort=&total=28&num=0&imgs=20&pNum=&pos=8http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=748&tbm=isch&tbnid=rLPdEwgh2BigmM:&imgrefurl=http://ctmonuments.net/2012/03/nathan-hale-statue-new-haven/&docid=NE5Q_wL0s8HUhM&imgurl=http://ctmonuments.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/HaleYale2.jpg&w=2287&h=1525&ei=_W-TUu6HMYvNsQTg94D4Bg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=906&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=234&&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:85&tx=123&ty=54
Below is a word search about Nathan Hale.
nathan_halewordsearch.doc | |
File Size: | 33 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Nathan Hale's statue at the college Yale.