He Was A Member Of The US's Original Spy Service.
The first US group devoted to gathering intelligence was Knowlton's Rangers. This regiment, a part of the Continental Army, was established in 1776 with an exclusive focus on reconnaissance and espionage. Hale enlisted in it at the same time he enlisted in the Connecticut militia, where he had advanced within five months to the rank of first lieutenant.
On September 8, 1776, Hale offered to walk behind enemy lines and report on British troop movements. Hale was aware that this was an act of espionage that would result in his execution right away. On September 12, he was transported by ferry from British-controlled Long Island to Huntington, New York. Although Hale did not travel under a false identity and apparently brought with him his Yale diploma with his genuine name, he had plans to pose as a job-seeking Dutch school teacher.
After the British forces left Boston, Hale's unit moved to New York City. Without any prior espionage training, he offered to spy on the British camps close to New York at this moment. Nathan Hale is reported to have said, "I wish to be useful, and any form of work necessary to the public good becomes honorable by being necessary”.
