Analysis:
The secret of nathan hale, the first spy in American history, has been solved.
During the American War of Independence, nathan hale, the first spy in American history, left a famous saying by beating the floor before he was captured by the British army and died heroically: "My only regret is that only one life can be dedicated to the motherland." For a long time, it is generally believed that some childish mistakes made by Hale led to his capture, and the most fatal one was that he trusted a stranger. But the specific situation about this matter has never been known. A manuscript collected by the Library of Congress is expected to solve this 227-year-old historical mystery. According to James Hutson, head of the manuscript department of the library, according to the analysis of the manuscript to be published soon, British Major Robert Rogers trapped Hale by posing as a "Continental Army" spy.
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1 Volunteer to be a spy.
The Associated Press 19 reported that this manuscript (below) was written by Conceidi Tiffany during or shortly after the War of Independence. In 2000, Bradford Tiffany, the descendant of Constance Tiffany, donated the manuscript to the Library of Congress.
Handsome and strong, Hale graduated from Yale University and was an enthusiastic patriot. After joining the "continental army" formed by the North American people, it rose rapidly and was promoted to captain on 1776. Later that year, due to the British attack, the Continental Army was forced to withdraw from Long Island. George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at that time, was in urgent need of understanding the military strength and deployment of the British army, so he needed to send a spy into the British-controlled area to spy on the situation. Hale volunteered for the task. He regards this mission as his patriotic duty.
"I hope to contribute to the cause of independence. Any service necessary for the public interest is glorious. " Hale said to his good friend, Captain William Hull, who tried to persuade him to give up the task.
An inexperienced and credulous "fake spy"
After changing into civilian clothes, Hale crossed Norwalk, Connecticut, arrived in Long Island and sneaked into the enemy's rear. Hale is easily targeted by British Major Rogers because he has no spy training. Rogers was an experienced soldier who led a well-trained patrol cavalry in the war between France and Indians. Rogers has just escaped from American captivity and is recruiting soldiers for the British army on Long Island. According to Tiffany, Rogers observed Hale for several days and suspected that he was a spy. In order to further verify, Rogers took the opportunity to talk to him and exchange views on the war.
Rogers tried to convince Hale that they all served the Continental Army. Rogers' task is to find out the tendency of the people and the transfer of British troops. Unsuspecting Hale told Rogers about his mission and accepted an invitation to have dinner at the latter's residence. There, Rogers and several of his friends started the same conversation. Just as the atmosphere of the dinner was warm, a group of British soldiers surrounded them and immediately arrested Hale.
The action failed and he was hanged.
The rest of Hale's story comes from his good friend Captain William Hale. The British captain Montsa, who was sent to Washington to discuss the exchange of prisoners of war, told Hull what had happened to Hale. The British army found a note recording the situation of the British army on Hale, so they took him to Manhattan and brought him to the British commander Sir William Howe. Those notes exposed Hale's identity. Hale had to tell his name, rank and task.
1776 On September 22nd, Hale was hanged in an artillery battalion near Duff's pub. Before the execution, Hale said a sentence that has been passed down to this day: "My only regret is that I have only one life to give to my motherland."
In an article written for the Library of Congress, Hutson commented on Hale's espionage: "How can a man on a secret mission be so naive? How can he trust a stranger easily and tell the truth the next day? "
As a spy, Hale failed. But to commemorate his patriotism, a life-size statue of Hale engraved with his famous words stands in the CIA headquarters.