On the arrival of the news from Boston, the
people in New London at once held a meeting.
Hon. Richard Law, District Judge of Connecticut
and Chief Justice of the Superior Court, was chairman.
Hale was one of the speakers.

At that meeting a company was selected from
the already existing militia and ordered to start
for Boston the next morning. This company
Nathan Hale, with his keen sense of duty, could
not then join. But, for a few succeeding weeks,
in addition to his regular work in school, he did
all in his power to keep alive the interest of the
young men in the town concerning their duties as
Americans. With his enthusiastic nature, and
broad comprehension of what might soon confront
the country, it is probable that his seriousness and
his activity were never greater than during the
few weeks intervening between his speech at the
political meeting and his departure from New
London to enter the military service of his country.

Of course his becoming a soldier would greatly
interfere with the plans that his father had made
for him, and he at once wrote home on the subject,
stating that "a sense of duty urged him to sacrifice
everything for his country"; but he added that
as soon as the war was ended he would comply
with his father's wishes in regard to a profession.

[[41]]

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