Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . He volunteered for an intelligence -gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British and executed. He is probably best remembered for his purported last words before being hanged: "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." [ 1 ] Hale has long been considered an American hero and, in 1985, he was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut. [ 2 ] Commission of Nathan Hale captain in nineteenth regiment of foot commanded by Colonel Charles Webb. Signed by John Hancock . 1 January 1776 Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut , in 1755 to Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong. In 1768, when he was fourteen years old, he was sent with his brother Enoch, who was sixteen, to Yale College . Nathan was a classmate of fellow patriot spy Benjamin Tallmadge . [ 3 ] 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 at age 18, Nathan became a teacher, first in East Haddam and later in New London . [ citation needed ] After the Revolutionary War began in 1775, he joined a Connecticut militia and was elected first lieutenant . When his militia unit participated in the Siege of Boston , Hale remained