What Happened at the Boston Massacre

A Besieged Sentry, a Deluded Crowd, and a Flustered Officer

Oct 22, 2009

British Soldiers hoped to extract a panicky sentry from his post in front of raging Bostonians, many of whom assumed the soldiers' guns were not loaded. They were wrong.

The string of events on March 5, 1770 that led to the Boston Massacre began with a dispute between an boy, Edward Garrick, and a lone sentry, Private Hugh White, on King Street (now State Street) in Boston. The boy had accused an officer, John Goldfinch, of failing to pay a debt to a wigmaker. Goldfinch ignored the boy and walked away. But the accusation irked White, who struck the boy. That instantly drew a crowd, insults and snowballs flew, and the sentry called for help from the military barracks, just up the street.

Bloody Mayhem Averted

At about the same time as White's call for help, another confrontation between soldiers and civilians threatened to explode into bloody mayhem elsewhere in the compact town. That was averted by none other than Goldfinch--Garrick's nemesis--who with fellow officers corralled the soldiers back into their barracks amidst a snowball bombardment. Many of these angry civilians, with no targets for their snowballs or insults, now moved toward the King Street with the apparent aim of confronting the soldiers at the headquarters.

Looking for a Fire, Trouble or Just Curious

Elsewhere, yet another crowd of men, many armed with table legs and such and apparently eager for a skirmish, also headed in the direction of King Street, which was soon jammed with people looking for a fire or trouble, or just curious about all the hubbub.

Private White's woes got the attention of the military headquarters. Captain Thomas Preston quickly gathered up six privates and a corporal. According to Preston's plan, the eight of them would form up, march to the Custom House just a little ways down and across the street, gather up White in their formation, and march back to the headquarters. The plan went well at first. The column of twos squeezed through the crowd and reached White, who fell into the formation.

Now the formation tried to work its way back to the headquarters. The crowd, however, still shouting and throwing snowballs, closed in. Preston could have tried forcing his way through, but he chose not to, apparently afraid that would trigger worse violence. So he ordered the men to deploy in a semicircle, about a body width apart, facing the crowd and with their backs to the building.

Many Thought Guns Not Loaded

The crowd pressed closer, taunting, rapping sticks against the soldiers' bayoneted muskets, inviting them to fire. Why was the crowd so foolhardy? Many thought the soldiers would not fire or that the guns were not really loaded because the military had given strict orders for soldiers to be especially careful, even passive, in the face of civilian provocation.

As the crowd pressed close, someone asked Preston: "Are your soldiers' guns loaded?"

Said another: "I hope that you don't intend the soldier shall fire on the inhabitants."

Now someone raised a club and brought it down on one of the soldiers. He fell back and then, furious, rose with his gun and pulled the trigger. An explosion, but no one seemed to be hit. Some people began fleeing the street. Others pressed closer to the soldiers. Another club came down, this one on Preston's arm.

Sticks Against Bayonets

Soldiers and civilians skirmished on the icy street, sticks against bayonets. Another gun fired. And this time a civilian fell. Than another shot. And then more shots. It was not a volley and apparently Preston did not give an order to fire.

Now many people started fleeing. Some others refused to believe the weapons had bullets. They at first thought the bodies of the victims, the dark clumps on King Street, were just coats left behind by people running away. The soldiers started to reload. Finally Preston spoke up. "Stop firing. Do not fire." With the street now clearing, Preston ordered the men to form up. They marched back to the headquarters.

Ferling, John. A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic. New York, Oxford University Press, 2003.

The copyright of the article What Happened at the Boston Massacre in Colonial America is owned by Brian Deming. Permission to republish What Happened at the Boston Massacre in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.