On September 21, 1776, Nathan Hale, who spied on the British the Continental Army, was arrested. An excerpt from the article:
"During the Battle of Long Island, Nathan Hale--a captain in the Continental Army--volunteered to go behind enemy lines in disguise to report back on British troop movements. Hale was captured by the British army and executed as a spy on September 22, 1776. Hale remains part of popular lore connected with the American Revolution for his purported last words, 'I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.'"