Boston Massacre by Colonist Paul Revere 1770
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The Boston Massacre by Alonzo Chappel, 1868
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The Boston Massacre
“On Monday night…about 9, some of the guards came to and informed me the town inhabitants were assembling to attack the troops… In a few minutes after I reached the guard, about 100 people passed it and went towards the custom house where the king’s money is lodged. They immediately surrounded the sentry posted there, and with clubs and other weapons, threatened to execute their vengeance on him.
I immediately sent a noncommissioned officer and 12 men to protectboth the sentry and the king’s money, and very soon followed myself to prevent, if possible all disorder, fearing lest the officer and soldiers, by the insults and provocations of the rioters, should be thrown off their guard and commit some rash act…
At this time I was between the soldiers and the mob…endeavoring all in my power to persuade them to retire peaceably, but no purpose. They advanced to the points of the bayonets, struck some of them… A general attack was made on the men by a great number of heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown at them, by which all our lives were in imminent danger, some persons at the same time from behind calling out… why don’t you fire. Instantly three or four of the soldiers fired, one after another and directly after three more in the same confusion and hurry…
. On my asking the soldiers why they fired without orders, they said they heard the work fire and supposed it came from me. This might have be the case as many of the mob called out fire, fire, but I assured the men that I gave no such order; that my words were don’t fire, stop your firing.”
-British Captain Thomas Preston
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The Boston Massacre
Samuel Drowne, declares that, about nine o’clock of the evening of the fifth of March…he saw about fourteen or fifteen soldiers…[The soldiers] came upon the inhabitants of the town, the standing or walking in Cornhill, and abused some, and violently assaulted others as they met them; most of them were without so much of a stick in their hand to defend themselves, as he clearly could discern…
All of most of the said soldiers he saw go onto King Street, and there followed them, and soon discovered them to be quarreling and fighting with the people whom they saw there…
The outrageous behavior and the threats of the said party occasioned the ringing of the meeting house bell…which bell…presently brought out a number of the inhabitants, who, were naturally led to King Street, where their stopping had drawn together a number of boys round the sentry at the custom house.
There was much foul language between them, and some of them, in consequence of his pushing at them withhis bayonet, threw snowballs at him, which occasioned him to knock hastily at the door of the Custom House…
The officer on guard was Captain Preston, who with seven or eight soldiers, with firearms and charged bayonets issued form the guardhouse and posed himself and his soldiers in front of the Custom House. In passing to this station the soldiers pushed several persons with their bayonets, driving through the people in…disturbance. This occasioned some snowballs to be thrown at them, which seems to be the only provocation that was given…
Captain Preston is said to have ordered them to fire, and to have repeated the order. One gun was fired; then others in succession and with deliberation till ten or a dozen guns were fired.
-An anonymous colonist
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