Statue of Nathan Hale, New York City - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In the late summer of 1776 the Continental Army, commanded by George Washington, was attempting to prevent the capture of New York by the British. This episode is known variously as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Long Island and eventually resulted in Washington’s retreat through New Jersey into Pennsylvania and the British occupation of New York City.

During the campaign a young officer in the Continental Army named Nathan Hale volunteered to go behind enemy lines and spy on their positions and movements. He was eventually caught and hanged for espionage on September 22, 1776. He was 21 years of age.

This was a tumultuous time in New York and details around Hale’s capture and execution are sketchy. For instance, it’s uncertain where the actual hanging took place. One possible location is where this statue now stands in City Hall Park. It’s also completely unknown where Hale’s body was buried. And no one knows if Nathan Hale actually uttered the famous words ‘I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country’ before his death. However, he was allowed to give a speech before his execution and it’s reasonable to believe that something like that was said.

This is the second U.S. stamp to show Nathan Hale. The images on both stamps are based on statues: one by Bela Lyon Pratt and this one by New York sculptor Fredrick W. MacMonnies. If you put the two stamps side by side, they don’t look like they portray the same person and that’s because they don’t. No contemporary image of Nathan Hale exists, so both Pratt and MacMonnies used models (and their imagination) for their respective statues. Since the models didn’t resemble each other, neither did the statues and, consequently, neither did the stamps.

This statue was dedicated in 1893 in New York’s City Hall Park. MacMonnies supplemented his commission by creating smaller copies of this statue. These copies can be found in any number of museums and private collections.

The postal card was issued during the American Revolution Bicentennial era and was one of several with similar designs each showing a portrait of a different revolutionary era patriot.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 14-Oct-1977 Denomination: 9 cents Color: green Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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