Nathan Hale

 

Fun Fact

Nathan Hale joined the patriot forces on July 6, 1775. Prior to that he had graduated from Yale University and was teaching at a private academy in New London, Connecticut. After Washington's forces were forced from Long Island, Hale volunteered as a spy. He landed on Long Island dressed as a school teacher -- which would seem to have been a pretty good choice for a school teacher. 

Hale's misfortune lay not with the stars or his choice of dress, but with his inability to discern a British agent pretending to be a patriot sympathizer. He confided in the agent and succeeded in infiltrating his way into British custody. Washington's army retreated. Hale found himself brought to General Howe's headquarters to determine the nature of the decoration he would receive for his efforts. Death was to be his reward.

 

On September 22, 1776, the award ceremony included a short climb up a ladder to receive a length of rope about his neck. He was allowed to keep the rope for the rest of his life, but the Brits insisted on the immediate return of the ladder. He said, "I only regret that I have but one ladder to give for my country." There's as much evidence that he said "ladder" as there is that he said "life."

This hero of the Revolutionary War failed every crucial throw he tried. He failed the discern British agent roll, the escape capture roll, the charm captor roll, the ladder's too short roll, and the rope breaks roll. Not to mention, he delivered zero intelligence to Washington. What makes him a hero? Propaganda? Or could it be that a school teacher who joined the cause and failed his mission but gave his life for the cause is reason enough to remember him? It is. He wasn't looking for a safe space; he was trying to make a difference. 

One must wonder, what if he had made some of those saving throws? Will Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series include a version of the brave Mr. Hale?