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Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston
A
Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston. Printed
by Order of the Town of Boston. Re-published with Notes and Illustrations
by John Doggett, Jr., (New York, 1849), vp. 13-19; 21- 22; 28-30.
THE
HORRID MASSACRE IN BOSTON, PERPETRATED IN THE EVENING OF THE FIFTH
DAY OF MARCH, 1770, BY SOLDIERS OF THE TWENTY-NINTH REGIMENT WHICH
WITH THE FOURTEENTH REGIMENT WERE THEN QUARTERED THERE; WITH SOME
OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATE OF THINGS PRIOR TO THAT CATASTROPHE
It
may be a proper introduction to this narrative, briefly to represent
the state of things for some time previous to the said Massacre;
and this seems necessary in order to the forming a just idea of
the causes of it.
At
the end of the late [French and Indian] war, in which this province
bore so distinguished a part, a happy union subsisted between
Great Britain and the colonies. This was unfortunately interrupted
by the Stamp Act; but it was in some measure restored by the repeal
of it. It was again interrupted by other acts of parliament for
taxing America; and by the appointment of a Board of Commissioners,
in pursuance of an act, which by the face of it was made for the
relief and encouragement of commerce, but which in its operation,
it was apprehended, would have, and it has in fact had, a contrary
effect. By the said act the said Commissioners were "to be
resident in some convenient part of his Majesty's dominions in
America." This must be understood to be in some part convenient
for the whole. But it does not appear that, in fixing the place
of their residence, the convenience of the whole was at all consulted,
for Boston, being very far from the centre of the colonies, could
not be the place most convenient for the whole. Judging by the
act, it may seem this town was intended to be favored, by the
Commissioners being appointed to reside here; and that the consequence
of that residence would be the relief and encouragement of commerce;
but the reverse has been the constant and uniform effect of it;
so that the commerce of the town, from the embarrassments in which
it has been lately involved, is greatly reduced.
The
residence of the Commissioners here has been detrimental, not
only to the commerce, but to the political interests of the town
and province; and not only so, but we can trace from it the causes
of the late horrid massacre. Soon after their arrival here in
November, 1767, instead of confining themselves to the proper
business of their office, they became partizans of Governor Bernard
in his political schemes; and had the weakness and temerity to
infringe upon one of the most essential rights of the house of
commons of this province-that of giving their votes with freedom,
and not being accountable therefor but to their constituents.
One of the members of that house, Capt. Timothy Folgier, having
voted in some affair contrary to the mind of the said Commissioners,
was for so doing dismissed from the office he held under them.
These
proceedings of theirs, the difficulty of access to them on office-business,
and a supercilious behavior, rendered them disgustful to people
in general, who in consequence thereof treated them with neglect.
This probably stimulated them to resent it; and to make their
resentment felt, they and their coadjutor, Governor Bernard, made
such representations to his Majesty's ministers as they thought
best calculated to bring the displeasure of the nation upon the
town and province; and in order that those representations might
have the more weight, they are said to have contrived and executed
plans for exciting disturbances and tumults, which otherwise would
probably never have existed; and, when excited, to have transmitted
to the ministry the most exaggerated accounts of them.
Unfortunately
for us, they have been too successful in their said representations,
which, in conjunction with Governor Bernard's, have occasioned
his Majesty's faithful subjects of this town and province to be
treated as enemies and rebels, by an invasion of the town by sea
and land; to which the approaches were made with all the circumspection
usual where a vigorous opposition is expected. While the town
was surrounded by a considerable number of his Majesty's ships
of war, two regiments landed and took possession of it; and to
support these, two other regiments arrived some time after from
Ireland; one of which landed at Castle Island, and the other in
the town.
Thus
were we, in aggravation of our other embarrassments, embarrassed
with troops, forced upon us contrary to our inclination-contrary
to the spirit of Magna Charta-contrary to the very letter of the
Bill of Rights, in which it is declared, that the raising or keeping
a standing army within the kingdom in time of peace, unless it
be with the consent of parliament, is against law, and without
the desire of the civil magistrates, to aid whom was the pretence
for sending the troops hither; who were quartered in the town
in direct violation of an act of parliament for quartering troops
in America; and all this in consequence of the representations
of the said Commissioners and the said Governor, as appears by
their memorials and letters lately published.
As
they were the procuring cause of troops being sent hither, they
must therefore be the remote and a blameable cause of all the
disturbances and bloodshed that have taken place in consequence
of that measure.
We
shall next attend to the conduct of the troops, and to some circumstances
relative to them. Governor Bernard without consulting the Council,
having given up the State House to the troops at their landing,
they took possession of the chambers, where the representatives
of the province and the courts of law held their meetings; and
(except the council-chamber) of all other parts of that house;
in which they continued a considerable time, to the great annoyance
of those courts while they sat, and of the merchants and gentlemen
of the town, who had always made the lower floor of it their exchange.
They [the merchants] had a right so to do, as the property of
it was in the town; but they were deprived of that right by mere
power. The said Governor soon after, by every stratagem and by
every method but a forcibly entry, endeavored to get possession
of the manufactory-house, to make a barrack of it for the troops;
and for that purpose caused it to be besieged by the troops, and
the people in it to be used very cruelly;
The
General Court, at the first session after the arrival of the troops,
viewed it in this light, and applied to Governor Bernard to cause
such a nuisance to be removed; but to no purpose.
The
challenging the inhabitants by sentinels posted in all parts of
the town before the lodgings of officers, which (for about six
months, while it lasted), occasioned many quarrels and uneasiness.
Capt.
Wilson, of the 59th, exciting the negroes of the town to take
away their masters' lives and property, and repair to the army
for protection, which was fully proved against him. The attack
of a party of soldiers on some of the magistrates of the town-the
repeated rescues of soldiers from peace officers-the firing of
a loaded musket in a public street, to the endangering a great
number of peaceable inhabitants-the frequent wounding of persons
by their bayonets and cutlasses, and the numerous instances of
bad behavior in the soldiery, made us early sensible that the
troops were not sent here for any benefit to the town or province,
and that we had no good to expect from such conservators of the
peace.
It
was not expected, however, that such an outrage and massacre,
as happened here on the evening of the fifth instant, would have
been perpetrated. There were then killed and wounded, by a discharge
of musketry, eleven of his Majesty's subjects, viz.:
Mr.
Samuel Gray, killed on the spot by a ball entering his head.
Crispus Attucks, a mulatto, killed on the spot, two balls entering
his breast.
Mr. James Caldwell, killed on the spot, by two balls entering
his back.
Mr. Samuel Maverick, a youth of seventeen years of age, mortally
wounded; he died the next morning.
Mr. Patrick Carr mortally wounded; he died the 14th instant.
Christopher Monk and John Clark, youths about seventeen years
of age, dangerously wounded. It is apprehended they will die.
Mr. Edward Payne, merchant, standing at his door; wounded.
Messrs. John Green, Robert Patterson, and David Parker; all dangerously
wounded.
The actors in this dreadful tragedy were a party of soldiers commanded
by Capt. Preston of the 29th regiment. This party, including the
Captain, consisted of eight, who are all committed to jail.
There
are depositions in this affair which mention, that several guns
were fired at the same time from the Custom-house; before which
this shocking scene was exhibited. Into this matter inquisition
is now making. In the meantime it may be proper to insert here
the substance of some of those depositions.
Benjamin
Frizell, on the evening of the 5th of March, having taken his
station near the west corner of the Custom-house in King street,
before and at the time of the soldiers firing their guns, declares
(among other things) that the first discharge was only of one
gun, the next of two guns, upon which he the deponent thinks he
saw a man stumble; the third discharge was of three guns, upon
which he thinks he saw two men fall; and immediately after were
discharged five guns, two of which were by soldiers on his right
hand; the other three, as appeared to the deponent, were discharged
from the balcony, or the chamber window of the Custom-house, the
flashes appearing on the left hand, and higher than the right
hand flashes appeared to be, and of which the deponent was very
sensible, although his eyes were much turned to the soldiers,
who were all on his right hand.
What
gave occasion to the melancholy event of that evening seems to
have been this. A difference having happened near Mr. Grays ropewalk,
between a soldier and a man belonging to it, the soldier challenged
the ropemakers to a boxing match. The challenge was accepted by
one of them, and the soldier worsted. He ran to the barrack in
the neighborhood, and returned with several of his companions.
The fray was renewed, and the soldiers were driven off. They soon
returned with recruits and were again worsted. This happened several
times, till at length a considerable body of soldiers was collected,
and they also were driven off, the ropemakers having been joined
by their brethren of the contiguous ropewalks. By this time Mr.
Gray being alarmed interposed, and with the assistance of some
gentlemen prevented any further disturbance. To satisfy the soldiers
and punish the man who had been the occasion of the first difference,
and as an example to the rest, he turned him out of his service;
and waited on Col. Dalrymple, the commanding officer of the troops,
and with him concerted measures for preventing further mischief.
Though this affair ended thus, it made a strong impression on
the minds of the soldiers in general, who thought the honor of
the regiment concerned to revenge those repeated repulses. For
this purpose they seem to have formed a combination to commit
some outrage upon the inhabitants of the town indiscriminately;
and this was to be done on the evening of the 5th instant or soon
after; as appears by the depositions of the following persons,
viz.:
William
Newhall declares, that on Thursday night the 1st of March instant,
he met four soldiers of the 29th regiment, and that he heard them
say, "there were a great many that would eat their dinners
on Monday next, that should not eat any on Tuesday." <
Daniel
Calfe declares, that on Saturday evening the 3d of March, a camp-woman,
wife to James McDeed, a grenadier of the 29th, came into his father's
shop, and the people talking about the affrays at the ropewalks,
and blaming the soldiers for the part they had acted in it, the
woman said, "the soldiers were in the right;" adding,
"that before Tuesday or Wednesday night they would wet their
swords or bayonets in New England people's blood."
Samuel
Drowne declares that, about nine o'clock of the evening of the
fifth of March current, standing at his own door in Cornhill,
he saw about fourteen or fifteen soldiers of the 29th regiment,
who came from Murray's barracks, armed with naked cutlasses, swords,
&c., and came upon the inhabitants of the town, then standing
or walking in Coruhffl, and abused some, and violently assaulted
others as they met them; most of whom were without so much as
a stick in their hand to defend themselves, as he very clearly
could discern, it being moonlight, and himself being one of the
assaulted persons. All or most of the said soldiers he saw go
into King street (some of them through Royal Exchange lane), and
there followed them, and soon discovered them to be quarrelling
and fighting with the people whom they saw there, which he thinks
were not more than a dozen, when the soldiers came first, armed
as aforesaid. Of those dozen people, the most of them were gentlemen,
standing together a little below the Town House, upon the Exchange.
At the appearance of those soldiers so armed, the most of the
twelve persons went off, some of them being first assaulted.
The
violent proceedings of this party, and their going into King street,
"quarrelling and fighting with the people whom they saw there"
(mentioned in Mr. Drowne's deposition), was immediately introductory
to the grand catastrophe.
These
assailants, who issued from Murray's barracks (so called), after
attacking and wounding divers persons in Cornhill, as abovementioned,
being armed, proceeded (most of them) up the Royal Exchange lane
into King street; where, making a short stop, and after assaulting
and driving away the few they met there, they brandished their
arms and cried out, "where are the boogers! where are the
cowards!" At this time there were very few persons in the
street beside themselves. This party in proceeding from Exchange
lane into King street, must pass the sentry posted at the westerly
corner of the Custom House, which butts on that lane and fronts
on that street. This is needful to be mentioned, as near that
spot and in that street the bloody tragedy was acted, and the
street actors in it were stationed: their station being but a
few feet from the front side of the said Custom House. The outrageous
behavior and the threats of the said party occasioned the ringing
of the meeting-house bell near the head of King street, which
bell ringing quick, as for fire, it presently brought out a number
of inhabitants, who being soon sensible of the occasion of it,
were naturally led to King street, where the said party had made
a stop but a little while before, and where their stopping had
drawn together a number of boys, round the sentry at the Custom
House. whether the boys mistook the sentry for one of the said
party, and thence took occasion to differ with him, or whether
he first affronted them, which is affirmed in several depositions,-however
that may be, there was much foul language between them, and some
of them, in consequence of his pushing at them with his bayonet,
threw snowballs at him, which occasioned him to knock hastily
at the door of the Custom House. From hence two persons thereupon
proceeded immediately to the main-guard, which was posted opposite
to the State House, at a small distance, near the head of the
said street. The officer on guard was Capt. Preston, who with
seven or eight soldiers, with fire-arms and charged bayonets,
issued from the guardhouse, and in great haste posted himself
and his soldiers in front of the Custom House, near the corner
aforesaid. In passing to this station the soldiers pushed several
persons with their bayonets, driving through the people in so
rough a manner that it appeared they intended to create a disturbance.
This occasioned some snowballs to be thrown at them which seems
to have been the only provocation that was given. Mr. Knox (between
whom and Capt. Preston there was some conversation on the spot)
declares, that while he was talking with Capt. Preston, the soldiers
of his detachment had attacked the people with their bayonets
and that there was not the least provocation given to Capt. Preston
of his party; the backs of the people being toward them when the
people were attacked. He also declares, that Capt. Preston seemed
to be in great haste and much agitated, and that, according to
his opinion, there were not then present in King street above
seventy or eighty persons at the extent.
The
said party was formed into a half circle; and within a short time
after they had been posted at the Custom House, began to fire
upon the people.
Captain
Preston is said to have ordered them to fire, and to have repeated
that order. One gun was fired first; then others in succession
and with deliberation, till ten or a dozen guns were fired; or
till that number of discharges were made from the guns that were
fired. By which means eleven persons were killed and wounded,
as above represented.
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