On September 10, 1776, General George Washington asks for a volunteer for an extremely dangerous mission: to gather intelligence behind British lines. Captain Nathan Hale stepped forward and subsequently become one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War. He succeeded for several weeks, but he was captured on September 21, 1776. He was found to be carrying incriminating documents and was hanged by the British the next day. He may or may not have said the often-quoted words: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
