The martyr and the traitor : Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution

289 Pages·2017·5.441 MB·English

by  Anderson, Virginia DeJohn

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THE MARTYR AND THE TRAITOR
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THE MARTYR
AND THE
TRAITOR
Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the
American Revolution
Virginia DeJohn Anderson
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Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© Virginia DeJohn Anderson 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Anderson, Virginia DeJohn, author.
Title: The martyr and the traitor : Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and
the American Revolution / Virginia DeJohn Anderson.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044452 (print) | LCCN 2016049884 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780199916863 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780199916870 (Updf) | 
ISBN 9780190658335 (Epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Hale, Nathan, 1755- 1776. | Dunbar, Moses, 1746– 1777. |
United States— History— Revolution, 1775- 1783— Biography. |
Spies— United States— Biography. | American loyalists— United States— Biography. |
Connecticut—H istory—R evolution, 1775-1 783. |
New York (State)— History— Revolution, 1775- 1783.
Classification: LCC E280.H2 A76 2017 (print) | LCC E280.H2 (ebook) |
DDC 973.3/ 850922 [B]— dc23
LC record available at https:// lccn.loc.gov/ 2016044452
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by Edwards Brothers Malloy, United States of America
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For Sam
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue: Lives, Interrupted 1
1. Fathers and Sons 7
2. Moses and Phoebe 29
3. Son of Linonia 51
4. The Unhappy Misunderstanding 75
5. More Extensive Public Service 97
6. A Very Genteel Looking Fellow 121
7. The Terrible Crisis of My
Earthly Fate 150
8. Post Mortem 181
Notes 213
Index 261
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every time my father drove me from our home to my dormitory at
the University of Connecticut, I knew we were getting close when
we passed a highway sign marking the exit for the Nathan Hale
Homestead. It was at UConn, during my undergraduate studies,
where I first learned about Moses Dunbar. Little did I know then
that, many years later, I would devote a decade to exploring what the
experiences of these two men can tell us about living in the era of the
American Revolution.
Along the way, I have received invaluable help from many indi-
viduals and organizations, which I am pleased to acknowledge at last.
The National Endowment for the Humanities offered crucial financial
support, in the forms of a summer stipend that allowed me to begin
research and a yearlong fellowship during which I began writing.
A Faculty Fellowship and College Scholar Award from the University
of Colorado likewise provided the release from teaching essential to
the completion of this project.
Staff members at numerous archives supplied timely and gracious
assistance. I sincerely thank those who helped me at the Morgan
Library, New York Public Library, Connecticut State Library (includ-
ing Mel E. Smith, Bruce Stark, Allen Ramsey, and Lara Day), the
Connecticut Historical Society (especially Barbara Austen and Karen
DePauw), Yale University Libraries (Bill Landis, Susan Brady, Joan