Nathan Hale by Ryan S.

“There is no finer record of high character and patriotic devotion, of unselfish service and of a spirit unquenched and majestic in death than that of Nathan Hale,” (President Calvin C. Coolidge on the 150th anniversary of Nathan Hale’s death). Nathan Hale was an ordinary person who changed “the world not because of what he did, but because of why he did it” (Richard Helms). Nathan Hale stood up for what he believed in and fought for it with his whole life. Not once did he waver from his goal of helping his nation even though others tried to sway him to take different, perhaps safer paths. He knew what could happen to him if he showed loyalty to his home colony Connecticut by fighting the British. He knew but he still fought under the standards of liberty, justice, and freedom no matter what the price. He had other battles to fight in his own home, too, like getting past the death of his mother and freeing himself from a sickness he had had since birth. He eventually won them all with his unrivaled spirit of the heart, the mind, and the soul.

Nathan Hale was born in Coventry County, Connecticut on June 6, 1755. However he was far from healthy. He was often sick and always had a cough of some sort. His parents, Richard and Elizabeth Hale, were prosperous farmers and strict Puritans who believed in hard work. Nathan soon became strong from constantly working on the farm with his father and brothers, and from doing household chores with his mother and sisters. Nathan Hale became very active and was almost always outdoors hunting and fishing. His spirit put a cap on the flame of his sickness and he became very healthy and physically fit.

On Sundays all the Puritan families would go to church for hours in the morning and in the afternoon. He trusted in his faith and always paid attention in church. Nathan Hale was a very happy child with his Patriotic parents and his eight brothers and three sisters. He was especially close to one of his older brothers, Enoch Hale, one of the ten children including Nathan Hale who would survive to adulthood. The two of them played games with each other and hunted together often. However Nathan Hale’s mom soon died after giving birth to her 12th child. He was terribly grieved for he had loved his mother dearly and it took all of his spirit to move on. His father remarried so that he could continue to take care of the farm and have someone to watch over the children.

Nathan Hale showed an avid interest in reading and learning so his parents decided to have him schooled by Rev. Dr. Joseph Huntington. He walked two miles each day except for Sundays to his schoolhouse and then two miles back again to his family and friends. At his tutor’s house Nathan Hale learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, penmanship, and other subjects. He was a fast learner but his teacher didn’t give him breaks. The faster he worked the faster he got done.
By the time he was 14 years old, Nathan Hale and his brother Enoch Hale had learned enough to go to Yale College, they lodged in Connecticut Hall. As soon as they go there, they both joined Linonia, which was a literary society whose students discussed literature, astronomy, and current events. Later, Nathan Hale was appointed head of Linonia. Besides Linonia, Hale took many classes on many varied subjects. He paticularly liked Latin and anything else that could be used for a teaching career.

Even though Life at Yale was strict, he still had time for leisurely activities. He played lots of sports and was a champion wrestler. He could kick a ball amazing distances and could jump a fence as high as his head. He also watched and participated in many student plays. All of these activities made life at Yale enjoyable. He became very popular among the students for his athleticism. Of course his father was worried about him just like modern day parents and wrote often about money, behavior, clothes, and bible studies. His father made sure that Nathan was doing well and not causing any trouble.

Nathan Hale graduated within the top thirteen among a class of thirty-six students on September 8, 1773. At his graduation, he gave a remarkable speech on the education of women and their importance in society. Nathan Hale truly thought outside the box.

Soon after graduation, Nathan Hale visited his uncle Major Samuel Hale, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Nathan Hale was seeking career advice from his uncle who had graduated from Harvard. Under his uncle’s influence, he decided to become a teacher so he went back to Connecticut. He traveled to East Haddam for his first-full time paying job.

He became a great teacher who was loved by his students, admired by his fellow teachers, and well liked by the civilians of East Haddam. Nathan Hale became a positive influence on the city. After five months in East Haddam he got a job offer for a Latin School in New London, Connecticut. Nathan Hale taught thirty young men math, Latin, literature, and writing. In 1774 his life took a turn for the better. Nathan Hale was offered “headmastership” of the Latin School in New London. The students loved him for his athletic abilities and for his praise for good workers. Among some parents however, Nathan Hale was a joke. They didn’t agree with the idea of rewarding students or letting girls go to school like the other boys did. Nathan Hale did allow girls to come to his school but they had to come before the boys because the school board wouldn’t allow them to come at the same time. At this time, teaching was usually a step to becoming a minister but Nathan didn’t seem particularly interested in that career. He seemed to want the action of military life yet still read his beloved books.

When news of the battles at Concord and Lexington reached New London in 1775, Nathan Hale decided to quit teaching, even though his career had been successful. He went to a town meeting that was held to gain support from the civilians of New London and to encourage people to join the ranks of the army. At twenty years of age he stood in front of everyone at the town meeting and gave a motivational speech that would convince many people to join the militia. Nathan also read a pamphlet called Common Sense by Thomas Paine. The pamphlet had a great impact on Nathan and that year he joined the army to fight for his new country.
The next July he was given the rank of Lieutenant. He was a great officer for the army, just what George Washington needed. Nathan Hale was sensible and quick. He was constantly reading about how to make himself a better officer and he drilled the army to keep them in shape. He kept the militia’s morale up with games like football. Because of his outstanding job as a Lieutenant he was promoted to the rank of Captain of the 19th Connecticut Regiment. Nathan Hale loved the military and if he had been offered a leave he would not have taken it. He was very motivational too. At one point his men wanted to leave because their contract was up. Nathan Hale offered to split his wage between them if they stayed a little longer.
When the British attacked Long Island, Hale went undercover with a small group of men, risked his life, and stole a British supply ship, (Schlesinger 48-49). This act of unselfish behavior for his country caught Thomas Knowlton’s attention. Knowlton sought Hale out and asked him to join his group of patrollers The Knowlton Rangers. Almost right after he joined he was sent on a mission - to go to Long Island and go amid the British undercover and learn about their plan of attack on New York. Washington desperately needed these plans. Though this was the mission brief, Nathan Hale was sent with almost no information on what to look for. He also had no code or invisible ink with which to write to his commander. However Knowlton didn’t have time to prepare Nathan, he needed those plans A.S.A.P.

Nathan Hale was ferried over to Long Island carrying his diploma to prove that he was a teacher seeking a job. While on Long Island he got information from British campsites and was about to leave when he realized that the British had already taken New York City. Instead of leaving to go back to the army, Nathan Hale went to New York to see if he could get more information since the information he had was now worthless. He made notes on the number of soldiers and their supplies.

Before he left, a fire broke out that was started by some Patriots in order to get the British out of New York. Nathan may have taken part in starting the fire himself. The British were enraged by the fires and arrested any suspicious young men in New York. At the end of the day almost 200 people had been accused or imprisoned. Nathan was one of these people. However there’s also another story about how he was caught. According to some citizens of New York, Nathan Hale’s loyalist cousin Samuel Hale had betrayed him and turned him in after recognizing him. In either case he was searched and the British found his notes on their plans. He was brought to General Howe who demanded him to confess. Nathan Hale did confess and told General Howe that he was an officer in the Continental Army. Howe ordered him to sign a pledge of allegiance to Britain or face death. He chose to face death rather than betray his General and his country. Before he was executed, Nathan Hale wrote two letters that were never delivered because the man in charge of the execution would not allow it.

As he stepped up to the noose with a straight back and tall spirit he recited his famous words. He exclaimed, “You are shedding the blood of the innocent. If I had ten thousand lives I would lay them all down in defense of my injured bleeding country. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” He was hanged on Sunday, September 22, 1776, at 11 o’clock A.M. He was only 21 years old when he died.

Instead of demoralizing the Continental Army as Howe had hoped, Nathan Hale’s death had united all of his old friends and their friends against Britain. The will to fight grew stronger. Those who could not fight or did not want to leave their farms grieved for Nathan Hale in their own ways. They erected statues and shed tears and so the memory of Nathan Hale lived on in the future generations of Connecticut. He was declared the State Hero of Connecticut, one of the many honors that have been bestowed upon him.

Nathan was unselfish in character and loved by his friends and family. He was carefree, yet loyal and wise. He donated his time to help others and he gave his life to create this nation. He was a brilliant Captain and knew the limits of his troops. Everywhere he went people knew his name. He was a motivator and a Patriot. He believed in the education of all no matter what their race or gender. Hale was the true model of an American citizen. He helped build a country and even though he couldn’t share its glory, he made sure that future generations could. Hale was truly one-of-a-kind.
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