He would not allow
his prisoner to have a Bible, and even tore in pieces before his eyes the
farewell letters which the young spy had written to his mother and
friends.
But Nathan Hale was not afraid to die, and held himself calm and steady to
the end. Looking down upon the few soldiers who were standing near by as
he went to his death, he said: "I only regret that I have but one life to
lose for my country." All honor to this brave and true young patriot!
A TIME OF TRIAL FOR WASHINGTON
But the death of Nathan Hale was only one of the hard things Washington
had to bear in this trying year of 1776. We have seen that when the
Americans left the Long Island shore, the British promptly occupied it. On
Brooklyn Heights they planted their cannon, commanding New York. So
Washington had to withdraw, and he retreated northward to White Plains,
stubbornly contesting every inch of ground.
In the fighting of the next two months the Americans lost heavily. Two
forts on the Hudson River with three thousand men were captured by the
British. The outlook was gloomy enough, and it was well for the Americans
that they could not foresee the even more trying events that were to
follow.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69