Nathan Hale

From: CIA.GOV

On September 22, 1776, American patriot Nathan Hale was hanged for spying on British troops. As he was led to the gallows, Hale's famous last words—inspired by a line from Joseph Addison's popular play, Cato, reportedly were—

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Hale allegedly spoke these words to British Captain John Montresor, chief engineer of His Majesty's Forces in North America and aide-de-camp to British General William Howe, while the preparations for his hanging were underway.

Reference: The Library of Congress - American Memory, Today in History: September 22, accessed on 23 August 2009 @ http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep22.html