Life of Captain Nathan Hale Author:Isaac William Stuart Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. The Lexington Alarm. Hale gives up his school, and joins the army as a volunteer. His motives in doing so. Is stationed for a while at New London.... more » Leaves for Boston. The prospect before him. Joins the brigade of General Sullivan. His life for six months in the camp around Boston. His skill in military discipline—his studies—his amusements— with extracts from his Diary. Such was Nathan Hale—and so engaged, when the Lexington Alarm, April nineteenth, 1T75, summoned the country to arms. Upon the arrival of the express with the news from Boston, the citizens of New London at once assembled in town-meeting—breathed forth in speeches and resolutions their spirit of patriotic resist- Judge Law in the chair. ance—and determined that Captain Coit's Independent Company, the only uniformed company in the place, should march to the scene of hostilities the next morning. Hale was among the speakers on this occasion. " I was struck," says Captain Law, from whom the fact is derived, " with his noble demeanor, and the emphasis with which he addressed the assembly."—" Let us march immediately" said he, " and never lay down our arms until we obtain our independence!" And enrolling at once as a volunteer, he assembled his school the next morning—made his pupils an affectionate address—" gave them earnest counsel—prayed with them—and shaking each by the hand," took his leave. It is probable that he soon returned to New London—but only to discharge his duties in the school temporarily, until he could arrange for a permanent connection with the army. This connection would interrupt his father's cherished project of educating him for the ministry. He wrote, therefore, to his parent—stated that "a sense of duty urged him to sacrifice everything for his country"—and promised...« less