Embedded Files
"The Boston Massacre: the definitive report in a London newspaper..." The London Chronicle [London], 24 Apr. 1770
Where did the Massacre Occur?
The Boston Massacre took place March 5, 1770, on King Street in front of the Old State House in Boston Massachusetts. This famous landmark stands tall today, now on the renamed State Street.
Events of the Night -
"The Bloody Massacre" engraved by Paul Revere, 1770
Events of Massacre
Events of Massacre
A group of boys gathered around a young British sentinel and harass him, eventually knocking him down. (New York Journal)
The colonists threw snow and ice at the British Soldier, they also wielded weapons like clubs, knives, and swords. (Alternative View on the Event, Massachusetts Historical Society)
A group of 8 soldiers along with Captain Thomas Preston came to the aid of the young soldier, and aimed their weapons at the crowd. The soldiers would then go on to fire upon the crowd. (New York Journal)
It is unclear at this point who gave the order to fire. The Boston Gazette published that “the Captain commanded his men to fire & more snow-balls coming, he again said, D__n you, fire, be the consequence what it will! One soldier then fired...By this fatal manoeuvre, several were laid dead on the spot...” (Boston Gazette)
Revere, Paul. "[Four coffins of men killed in the Boston Massacre]." Boston Herald [Boston], 1770.
Victims of the Massacre
Victims of the Massacre
Five men lost their lives from the massacre, these men being Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Crispus Attucks, and Patrick Carr. Gray, Caldwell, and Attucks died immediately, and the other two passed away shortly after.
What happened to the soldiers afterward?
What happened to the soldiers afterward?
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