loading
A life lost, 250 years ago
By Mark Alden Branch ’86
|
3:01pm September 21 2026
Two hundred fifty years ago today, Captain Nathan Hale, Class of 1773, was hanged by the British in Manhattan after he was caught spying for the Continental Army. Hale's famous last words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," were first reported by his friend and fellow officer William Hull, Class of 1772, who wrote that he got the story from a British officer who had been on the scene. (Historians today are skeptical about the veracity of the quote.) Yale's statue of Hale, sculpted by School of Art alumnus Bela Lyon Pratt, was dedicated in 1914. It is currently encased in plywood for protection while Connecticut Hall is being renovated; this photo is from 2021. |
RECENT COMMENTS
RECENT POSTSARCHIVES
|
|||||||
Copyright 2015 Yale University. All rights reserved. As of July 1, 2015, the Yale Alumni Magazine operates as a department of Yale University. Earlier print and digital content of the Yale Alumni Magazine was published and copyrighted by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., and is used under license.


Print
Email