On September 22, 1776, Continental Army officer Nathan Hale was hanged by the British in New York City after being captured on an intelligence-gathering mission. Hale had volunteered to spy behind British lines during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. He was caught with incriminating papers and quickly sentenced to death. According to later accounts, he declared that he regretted having but one life to lose for his country. Hale became an enduring symbol of patriotic sacrifice in American memory.
