“Let us march immediately,” he said, “and never lay down our arms until we obtain our independence.”This is the reported reaction of Union Grammar School (New London, Connecticut) teacher Nathan Hale (age 19) to the news of the battles at Lexington and Concord. That was his beginning. His last words are reported to have been:
"I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged, that my only regret is, that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service."Spoken before he was hanged as a spy in New York City on September 22, 1776. His body was left hanging for several days and eventually was placed in an unmarked grave.
Nathan Hale is Connecticut's state hero.