least consolation, thus fell as amiable and as worthy a young man as
America could boast, with this as his dying observation, ‘that he only
lamented, that he had but one life to lose for his country.’... To see
such a character, in the flower of youth, cheerfully treading in the
most hazardous paths, influenced by the purest intentions, and only
emulous to do good to his country, without the imputation of a crime,
fall a victim to policy, must have been wounding to the feelings, even
of his enemies. So far [1799] Hale has remained unnoticed, and, it is
scarcely known such a character ever existed....”
Fifty years after Hale’s execution the “Long Island Star” published
(April 2, 1827) extracts from a letter of Stephen Hempstead, Sen., aged
sixty-nine, which Hempstead had published in the “Missouri Republican.”
Another ten years went by before the first printed address appeared,
and thereafter memoirs and biographies followed at frequent intervals
to the present time. Attempts have been made to trace every step in his
career, but there is much that still puzzles the historians. Nobody
has been able to prove how he got to New York, and no one can say
positively where he was captured. From all that has been gathered on
the subject, we have arrived at the following conclusions:
The retreat of the American army from Long Island had been
satisfactorily accomplished, but the officers found themselves in a
most perilous condition when on September 7, 1776, Washington called a
council of war to consider the important question: Should they defend
or abandon New York? At another council on the 12th, it was decided
to move to a position on Harlem Heights, leaving a guard of four
thousand men under General Putnam in the city, with orders to follow if
necessary. On the 14th, Washington made his headquarters at the house
of Robert Murray, father of Lindley Murray the grammarian. From there
he wrote to General Heath, then stationed at Kingsbridge:
“As everything, in a manner, depends upon obtaining intelligence of the
enemy’s motions, I do most earnestly entreat you and General Clinton
to exert yourselves to accomplish this most desirable end. Leave no
stone unturned, nor do not stick at expense, to bring this to pass, as
I was never more uneasy than on account of my want of knowledge on this
score....”
To quote a paragraph from Lossing: “The vital questions pressing for
an answer were, Will they make a direct attack upon the city? Will
they land upon the island, above the city, or at Morrisania beyond the
Harlem River? Will they attempt to cut off our communications with the
main, by seizing the region along the Harlem River or at Kingsbridge,
by landing forces on the shores of the East and Hudson Rivers, at
Turtle Bay, or at Bloomingdale, and, stretching a cordon of armed men
from river to river, cut off the four thousand troops left in the city?”
Washington, in his perplexity, called another council of war at
Murray’s. He told his officers that he could not procure the least
information concerning the intentions of the enemy, and again asked,
What shall be done? It was resolved to send a competent person, in
disguise, into the British camps on Long Island to unveil the momentous
secret. It needed one skilled in military and scientific knowledge; a
man possessed of a quick eye, a cool head, unflinching courage; tact,
caution, and sagacity--a man on whose judgment and fidelity implicit
reliance might be placed.
Washington sent for Lieutenant-Colonel Knowlton and asked him to find
a man for the service. Knowlton summoned a number of officers to a
conference at his quarters and after explaining the service required
called for volunteers. Late in the conference, when it seemed he would
not find a man competent and willing to undertake the perilous mission,
“a young officer appeared, pale from the effects of recent severe
sickness. Knowlton repeated the invitation, when, almost immediately,
the voice of the young soldier was heard uttering the momentous words,
‘I will undertake it!’ It was the voice of Captain Nathan Hale.”
Everybody was astonished. The whole company knew Hale. They loved and
admired him. After the meeting his friends tried to dissuade him from
his decision, setting forth the risk of sacrificing all his good
prospects in life and the fond hopes of his family and friends. Hull
employed all the force of friendship and the arts of persuasion to bend
him from his purpose, but in vain. With warmth and decision Hale said:
“I think I owe to my country the accomplishment of an object so
important and so much desired by the commander of her armies, and I
know no mode of obtaining the information but by assuming a disguise
and passing into the enemy’s camp. I am fully sensible of the
consequences of discovery and capture in such a situation. But for
a year I have been attached to the army, and have not rendered any
material service, while receiving a compensation for which I make
no return. Yet I am not influenced by any expectation of promotion
or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful; and every kind of service
necessary for the public good becomes honorable by being necessary. If
the exigencies of my country demand a peculiar service, its claims to
the performance of that service are imperious.”
Knowlton presently conducted Hale to Washington, who delivered
instructions concerning his mission. The commander also furnished him
with a general order to the owners of all American vessels in Long
Island Sound to convey him to any point on Long Island which he might
designate.
Asher Wright, his trusty servant, was told to have the horses ready
at the earliest moment, and, in company with Stephen Hempstead, they
set off that Saturday evening. No hint has been given as to how they
reached Norwalk, except that because of the British cruisers in the
vicinity they could find no available boat until they got there,
which may indicate that they spent a part of Sunday, hunting perhaps
at Stamford and other points between there and Rye. Captain Pond,
whom Hale knew, happened to be at Norwalk, then in command of the
armed sloop Schuyler and arrangements were made to take him across
to Huntington on the Long Island shore that night. Hempstead, who
accompanied him this far, writing fifty years later, says that he
changed his uniform for a plain suit of citizens’ brown clothes, with
a round broad-brimmed hat: He does not tell us whether he brought the
extra suit with him, but we must presume that Captain Pond furnished
it, although Hale charged Hempstead with the care of his army clothes,
his commission and public and private papers, and also his silver
shoe buckles, saying they would not comport with his character as
a schoolmaster. He requested Hempstead to wait at Norwalk until he
returned or was heard from.
It was near daylight Monday morning when Hale was landed on the beach
at Huntington. No sound save the plash of the waves disturbed the
quiet of the approaching day. No sign of human habitation was in
sight: no guidepost to indicate the direction to the town; but there
were hills not far away and from these a better view might be had. A
path was discovered and he rightly surmised it led to the town. Who
there entertained this martyr unawares we may never know. Nobody there
wanted a teacher just at that time, but everybody was ready to tell
him how the Whigs were crossing from Huntington every day in order to
escape the British. Foraging parties had already been to Oyster Bay and
other towns. Two hundred wagons had been demanded from the farmers of
Suffolk County to remove the baggage of the British from New Utrecht
to Hellgate, and already three hundred had been sent there. Only the
troops were allowed to cross the ferries from Long Island to New York
without passes;[10] but the market boats were still in service and
doing a good business supplying the British troops with fresh country
produce. Their difficulty was to get men to assist in loading and
unloading.
We cannot think that Hale would fail to take advantage of this
opportunity. Whilst the boats at Huntington were transporting
passengers to Connecticut with their household effects, those from
Oyster Bay were supplying the New York markets and now were making
deliveries directly to the camp kitchens. Without loss of time, Hale
must have followed the road from Huntington to Oyster Bay. There it was
not necessary for him to diverge from the truth. He found Huntington
was already well supplied with teachers, and being willing to work
at anything was glad to assist on the market boats. They stopped at
Whitestone Landing, at Flushing, and at Hellgate, and it was now his
business to inquire how many troops were at each place, how many more
were expected, and how long they would remain, and perhaps even where
they expected to be the following week. Then, with what was left of the
cargo, they crossed to New York and there found ready market.
We know that Nathan Hale upon arrival in the city found that many of
the British had already crossed the river, had engaged the men of his
own company among others, and were now fortifying their positions in
various sections of the city. And undoubtedly he mingled among them
until, early on the morning of the 21st of September, the lower portion
of the city was discovered to be in flames. We may never know how his
time was occupied that day,[11] but it is possible that in spite
of his disguise he discovered he had been recognized as one of the
officers attached to Washington’s army. It may have startled him when
he realized that he was back at the place he started from almost a
week before. Back, but now not among friends. Washington had withdrawn
and the British were now in possession of the ground between him and
the American army. A walk of less than three miles along the shore of
Harlem Creek would bring him within the American lines. It may have
seemed the easiest way to return, and in fact might have been safely
accomplished but for the unusual events of that day. The great curtain
of smoke that hung over the city attracted attention for many miles
around. Among those who went out of their way to obtain details of
its cause was Captain Quarme and the crew of the Halifax. They were
off Whitestone Point at the time, but when they had neared Manhattan
in the vicinity of Ward’s Island, Quarme, with a few men, went ashore
near what is now One Hundred and Eleventh Street. Hale was just
reaching the water-front at that point, and noticing the small boat,
and the Halifax not being in sight as the trees on Ward’s Island hid
the view, concluded it might be a friendly party from Long Island. He
had betrayed his anxiety and attracted suspicion before he realized
his mistake. By Captain Quarme’s order he was left with the sentinels
at the British outposts, who later conducted him to headquarters, and
when the men returned they rowed for the Halifax and sailed back to
anchorage that night in the vicinity of City Island. Later in the war
the Halifax was stationed at Huntington, which may account for the idea
that Hale was captured there.
The documents previously quoted show his treatment after reaching the
British lines.
FOOTNOTES to “NATHAN HALE”:
[8] In the class of 1773 at Yale College among others were Nathan
Hale and his brother Enoch, Benjamin Tallmadge, and William Townsend.
William Hull was in the class of 1772. Of all the college mates of
Nathan Hale perhaps none had as deep an influence over his decisions
as Benjamin Tallmadge, and as may be observed, perhaps none was more
responsible for Tallmadge devoting the greater part of his military
career to assisting the spies of Washington than Hale. A carefully
preserved letter of advice to Hale, written at the time he was
contemplating changing the garb of a teacher for that of a soldier
reads: “Was I in your condition, notwithstanding the many, I had almost
said insuperable, objections against such a resolution, I think the
more extensive service would be my choice. Our holy Religion, the
honour of our God, a glorious country, & a happy constitution is what
we have to defend. Some indeed may say there are others who may supply
your place. True there are men who would gladly accept such a proposal
but are we certain that they would be likely to answer just as good an
end? Could this be certainly known, though we all should be ready to
step forth in the common cause, I could think it highly incumbent on
you not to change your situation. These hints, thrown together in great
haste, proceed from a heart ever devoted to your welfare, and from one
who shall esteem it his happiness to promote yours. I hope to hear from
you soon & to know your determination; in the mean time I remain your
constant friend &c., &c.,
B. Tallmadge.
To Mr. Nathan Hale
New London.
Wethersfield, July 4, 1775.
[9] Hale knew his mother was not living. It was an incorrect guess that
one of the letters was for her.
[10] In a letter from New York we hear that no person is suffered to
go out of the town without giving proper notices of their departure to
Gen. Howe; nor no person suffered to enter without their being first
strictly examined by the general officers commanding the several gates
for admittance.--Middlesex Journal, Sept 24, 1776.
[11] Although most of our large cities have had fires equalling that
of New York, yet because New York’s happened just at the time Nathan
Hale was there there are those who contend that he must have had a hand
in it. So insistent were some that an exhaustive study of the subject
seemed desirable. For this purpose contemporary charts of the tide
and records of the wind on the date of the fire were studied and the
route of the men from near Whitestone to 111th Street. The conclusion
arrived at is that Hale could have had no part in the fire aside from
the possibility of his being an interested eye witness. It must not be
forgotten that he was sent over to Long Island--the British had not
yet entered New York, and from the spot from which he started on his
way to Long Island it was at that time possible to send any man to
any part of the city of New York within an hour. It is not possible
to believe that any sane man would start on a week’s journey to reach
a destination he could arrive at in safety within an hour. Had Hale,
discovering the opportunity favorable, turned aside from the work he
was given to do, he being sent as a spy to discover and report the
intentions of the enemy, he would have deserved the treatment of a
deserter at the hands of General Washington and if he had given the
British any proof that he had acted the part of an incendiary he would
have met death accordingly, and not as alleged “because upon him they
discovered notes and documents that proved him to be a spy.” True many
favored destroying the city at that time, and it is also a fact that a
large quantity of inflammable material was left in the city when the
troops under General Washington moved north, and to these were added
additional stores that the British brought with them. The area of the
fire may have been increased thereby but the contemporary conclusion
that its origin was accidental cannot be changed.
GENERAL WASHINGTON’S SPIES
The capture and execution of Nathan Hale made a failure of the attempt
to get instant information from within the British lines; but it formed
a determination in the General’s mind to establish a Secret Service
Bureau that would be more carefully planned and consequently less
liable to disappointing results. The man selected to manage the spy
system within the city of New York was Robert Townsend, of Oyster Bay,
Long Island. Without discovery he furnished General Washington with
correct information throughout the war, and at its close, lest harm
should come to him, the General determined that his identity should
never be revealed. His books, which remained sealed for over a century,
now permit positive identification.(101)
Before the war began, Robert Townsend acted as purchasing agent for his
father, in importing flax and sugar and molasses, tea and coffee and
iron and rum and similar commodities,(102) and there is a suggestion
that he may have collected a secret fund for the “Sons of Liberty” in
1772, ’73, and ’74. His first war work commenced when the Provincial
Convention resolved unanimously on August 24, 1776, “That Robert
Townsend be a commissary to supply Brigadier-General Woodhull’s
Brigade with provisions”; but it may have been abruptly ended with
the capture of Woodhull and the scattering of his men.(103) Released
from other employment he had opportunity and with the gift of a keen
observation was able to assist General Scott and later Abraham Woodhull
in collecting intelligence. Lack of confidence might have deterred
him from making more than verbal reports had they been required but
at the moment they were satisfactory, and either Woodhull or Scott
embodied his information in the reports to headquarters. Every general
was prepared to furnish spies, but the arrangement now being made was
of a more permanent nature, General Washington proposing that they
should establish headquarters right in the heart of the British camp.
General Chas. Scott took particular interest in arranging for this
but was called to other service before it was fully organized. Major
Benjamin Tallmadge, of the Second Regiment, Light Dragoons, was then
selected to carry on the work. Tallmadge was a native of Long Island,
born at Brookhaven in Suffolk County on February 25, 1754; and it was,
therefore, natural for him to expect to find there those in whom he
could place the greatest confidence. In this he was not disappointed.
Men there were already anxious to be serviceable to their country’s
cause in any capacity. Abraham Woodhull, Caleb Brewster, and Austin
Roe, were among the leaders. So important was their work that without
them little from New York City could have reached the General.
The exact date when the service of systematically transmitting
intelligence commenced cannot be ascertained. In his “Memoir,” Colonel
Tallmadge merely records:
“This year [1778] I opened a private correspondence with some persons
in New York [for Gen. Washington] which lasted through the war. How
beneficial it was to the Commander-in-Chief is evidenced by his
continuing the same to the close of the war. I kept one or more boats
constantly employed in crossing the Sound on this business.... My
station was in the county of Westchester, and occasionally along the
shores of the Sound.”
A letter from Major Tallmadge addressed to General Scott, dated
Bedford, October 29, 1778, reads:
“I have this moment received a letter from a gentleman direct from Long
Island, by the very gentleman whom I made mention to you the other day
to serve as a conveyance for Samuel Culper’s letters. I doubt not it is
authentic.”
Samuel Culper was the name assumed by those who furnished the secret
intelligence. At first without distinction, but later Abraham Woodhull
signed “Samuel Culper, Sr.,” and Robert Townsend, “Samuel Culper, Jr.”
Sometimes in error they would write “Culper Samuel,” and Townsend
sometimes forgot to add the “Jr.”
Abraham Woodhull’s letter of October 31, 1778, indicates the hazard of
the work in New York City, and mentions finding a faithful friend who
will assist him. His letter reads:
“Since my last have explored Long Island, City of New York
and island unto the ten mile stone to Tryons Quarters where
I received his threats for comeing their that made me almost
tremble knowing my situation and business but blessed be God
have been prosperd and particularly successful in ingaging a
faithful friend and one of the first characters in the City
to make it his business and keep his eyes upon every movement
and assist me in all respects and meet and consult weekly in
or near the city. I have the most sanguine hopes of great
advantage will acrue by his assistance.... If bad weather doth
not prevent you will hear from me weekly. I have to request
that you will destroy every letter instantly after reading
for fear of some unforseen accident that may befall you and the
letters get into the enemies hands and probably find me out
and take me before I have any warning. I desire you will be
particularly cairfull. Hopeing this may arrive safe and be able
to serve you better in my next is the earnest desire of your
most obedient Hbl. Servt.
“SAMUEL CULPER.”
[Illustration: 9. MAJOR BENJAMIN TALLMADGE ALIAS JOHN BOLTON
1. Generals Philip Schuyler, 2. Marquis de LaFayette, 3. Nathaniel
Greene, 4. George Clinton, 5. Robert Howe, 6. Israel Putnam, 7. John
Lamb, 8. William Heath.]
Before the end of the next month Culper’s letters were delayed, which
caused Major Tallmadge to address the General with the letter which
follows:
BEDFORD, Novr. 19th, 1778.
Your Excellency’s favr. of yesterday has this moment
arrived--The queries therein contained shall be immediately
transmitted for solution.
I have been hourly waiting, for more than two days, for a
letter from Culper, and I am confident the failure must be
attributed to those employed in crossing the Sound for such
despatches, as his punctuality heretofore in fulfilling all
appointments with his Post, leaves no room to doubt in the
present case. I am further induced to impute it to this
cause inasmuch as I was lately informed that the men who
had been employed with Lt. Brewster on this business, had
not yet returned to their former duty. I could wish that no
difficulties of this nature might prevent his letters coming in
season, as it may be of the utmost importance that his letters
should be immediately forwarded to Headquarters. To the end
that your instructions may be duly transmitted and to make some
little inquiries into the causes of the aforementioned delay, I
determine to ride immediately to Fairfield, where Brewster has
made his Post for some time.
When Genl. Scott was about leaving this Post he proposed
a plan for the regular conveyance of Cr’s letters to your
Excellency, which he intended to lay before your Excellency on
his arrival at Head Quarters. I hope before the General removes
from Fredericksburgh his pleasure may be known, that Cr. may
not be at a loss how to convey his letters with certainty
and expedition. His extreme cautiousness and even timidity,
in his present undertaking, would not admit of having his
business made known to any Persons who are not at present his
confidants--so that, as Genl. Scott observed before he left
us, if it was communicated to any other persons he would most
probably leave his present employment immediately--I mention
this, not fearing that his letters or business will be made
public at camp, but lest some persons in this quarter should be
made acquainted with his present situation, which, as I before
observed, would make him extremely unhappy, and as he assured
when he embarked in the business, he should leave the Island
immediately. I am with all due Respect, &c.
BENJ. TALLMADGE.
To this General Washington replied:
_Headquarters_, 20th. Nov. 1778.
_Sir._ I was favored with your letter of Yesterday. You will be
pleased to observe the strictest silence with respect to C----
As you are to be the only person entrusted with the knowledge
or conveyance of his letters.
The 23d of November found another long letter of Abraham Woodhull’s on
its way to Headquarters, the first page of which may be read among the
Notes.(104) Continuing he says: