DID YOU KNOWthat Patriot-spy Nathan Hale, as he was about to be hanged by the British, said: "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Although famous for his purported last words―“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”―few people know the real Nathan Hale.
Captain Nathan Hale of the 19th Regiment of the Continental Army stepped forward and subsequently become one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War.
In New York City on September 22, 1776, Nathan Hale, a Connecticut schoolteacher and captain in the Continental Army, is executed by the British for spying.
Professor Hale married his beloved wife Ann in 1973 while they were both at UC Berkeley.
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Have you heard this famous declaration before? American patriot Nathan Hale said it on September 22, 1776, his last words before he was hanged for spying on British troops.
Good students of history can quote Nathan Hale's last words: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Better students of history know that these words were never uttered. Many people – students or otherwise – also falsely believe that Hale was hanged in what is now City Hall Park.
The British held Hale in captivity for some days, and a British officer wrote how well Hale composed himself. On the morning of September 22nd, Hale marched to the Park of Artillery and was hanged at the age of twenty-one.
On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry signaled the coming revolution when he spoke at a Virginia convention and allegedly implored: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
The popular film The Patriot is loosely based on the exploits of several real life historical figures including a British officer, Lt. Col. Banstre Tarleton and several American patriots: the "Swamp Fox," Francis Marion, Daniel Morgan, Elijah Clark, Thomas Sumter and Andrew Pickens.
In 1776, George Washington rebelled against the established government of his day. We remember him as a patriot, but to his king and fellow colonists loyal to the king, Washington was the traitor and Benedict Arnold was the patriot.
Quotes from chapter Why Regret Makes Us Better
“We need the ability to regret our poor decisions – to feel bad about them – precisely so we can improve those decisions in the future.” “When we handle it properly, regret can make us better.” “Too much regret is dangerous, sometimes devastating.
“I am free of most encumbrances, so I am free of regret, the most debilitating of indulgences. If you must be regretful, regret what you didn't do, not what you did. A man lets too many smiling opportunities pass him by.” So how did this bit of wisdom come to be associated with Mark Twain?
– Mark Twain: Golden Quote on Cover notebook / Journal / ToDo list(8.5-11in 120 pages )
Nathan Hale was an unlikely, unprepared and unlucky spy.
Nathan Hale, model 1889/1890, cast 1890. height: 71.1 cm (28 in.)
Benedict Arnold was an early hero of the Revolutionary War who later became one of the most infamous traitors in U.S. history. At the outbreak of the war, Arnold participated in the capture of the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. In 1776, he hindered a British invasion of New York from Lake Champlain.
History. The toponym "Hale" derives from the Old English halh, meaning a nook or shelter, as supported by the surrounding area that has natural features that provide shelter. The name Hale occurs in a number of places throughout Britain. The oldest record of Hale is in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Hale was captured on September 21, 1776, by the British while attempting to return to his regiment, having penetrated the British lines on Long Island to obtain information.
In early July 1775, Nathan received a heartfelt letter from a Yale classmate and one of his best friends — Benjamin Tallmadge [Note: Tallmadge would later became famous as a Revolutionary War soldier, Washington's friend and spymaster, a prosperous businessman and a US Congressman from Litchfield, CT].