Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Hale is best remembered for his "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" speech before being hanged following the Battle of Long Island.

Widely considered America's first spy, he volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission and was caught and executed. Hale has long been considered an American hero and, in 1985, he was officially designated the State Hero of Connecticut. A large statue of Hale is located outside the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Background

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Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut. In 1769, aged fourteen, he was sent with his brother Enoch to Yale College. He became very close to Benjamin Tallmadge, a fellow student who would later head Washington's intelligence service. The Hale brothers belonged to the Yale literary fraternity, Linonia, which debated topics in astronomy, mathematics, literature and the ethics of slavery. Graduating with first class honors in 1773, Nathan became a teacher, first in East Haddam and later in New London. After the Revolutionary War began in 1775, he joined a Connecticut militia and was elected first sergeant.

When his militia unit participated in the Siege of Boston, Hale remained behind, but, on July 6, 1775, he joined the regular Continental Army's 7th Connecticut Regiment under Colonel Charles Webb of Stamford. He was promoted to captain and in March 1776 commanded a small unit of Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton's Rangers defending New York City. They managed to rescue a ship full of provisions from the guard of a British man-of-war.

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