Author Talk: M. William Phelps

Although famous for his purported last words—“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”—few people know the real Nathan Hale.

In Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, M. William Phelps brings into focus the life of this famed patriot and first spy of the American Revolution, charting Hale’s rural childhood, his education at Yale, and his work as a schoolteacher. Like many young Americans, he was soon drawn into the colonies’ war for independence and became a captain in Washington’s army. When the general was in need of a spy, Hale willingly rose to the challenge, gathering intelligence behind British lines on Long Island, and in the end bravely sacrificing his life for the sake of American liberty.

Using Hale’s own journals and letters–be sure and see Hale’s diary in the current Connecticut: 50 Objects/50 Stories exhibit–as well as testimonies from his friends and contemporaries, Phelps depicts the Revolution as it was seen from the ground. From the confrontation in Boston to the battle for New York City, readers experience what life was like for an ordinary soldier in the struggling Continental Army.

M. WILLIAM PHELPS is an award-winning veteran journalist and the author of twenty-six nonfiction books. He lives in Connecticut, near the Nathan Hale Homestead.

This event is free and open to the public, but please let us know that you are coming by emailing rsvp@chs.org or calling (860) 236-5621 x328. For more information, please contact Jenny Steadman at (860) 236-5621 x289.