Eyewitness Testimonies In The Boston Massacre

On March 5, 1770, five people died at the hands of British soldiers in Boston, Massachusetts. Based on an analysis of the eyewitness testimonies, medical examiner’s reports, and the crime scene, it was determined that the soldiers did not commit murder, but rather acted in self-defense.
Many eyewitness testimonies clearly describe the mob as threatening to the point where the soldiers felt they were in danger. Dr. John Jeffries, the surgeon attending to Patrick Carr, who died during the incident, states that Carr said the soldier who shot him “had no malice, but fired to defend himself.” Carr’s statement of forgiveness demonstrates that even a victim of the incident realized that the soldiers did not act out of vengeance, but rather self-defense.

They said you Centinel, damned rascally scoundrel lobster son of a bitch.” Cruikshanks also describes how the Centinel warned the colonists that if they attacked or harmed him or his men, the Centinel would have to take action. This proves that the soldiers did not spontaneously attack without warning; instead, they warned the mob that they will act in self-defense if threatened. The mob knew that the consequences, and yet they chose to continue.
Captain Thomas Preston, a British soldier, said “the mob still increased and were more outrageous, striking their clubs or bludgeons one against another, and calling out, come on you rascals, you bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare, God damn you, fire and be damned… all our lives were in imminent danger.” Preston’s account of the incident further elaborates on the the mob which, with their weapons and taunts, was obviously a threat. Preston clearly states that he felt that he and his soldiers were in

In Thomas Marshall’s deposition, he said “the people kept gathering. I saw no uneasiness with the Centinel.” However, Marshall conveniently leaves out the fact that the “gathering of people” was actually a large mob brandishing clubs and throwing rocks who taunted and threatened the soldiers. It is extremely unlikely that the Centinel would be at ease with an armed mob, and so Marshall’s account is invalid. Samuel Hemmingway said that Killroy “wanted to have an opportunity [to fire] ever since he landed.” Similarly, Matthew Adams claimed “the soldiers were determined to be revenged on the ropewalk people.” However, these claims are disproved with the fact that, had the soldiers been determined to attack the colonists, then they would have done so much sooner. The soldiers waited until the mob grew to the point where the soldiers felt they were in danger; they endured rock-filled snowballs, taunts, and threats. If the soldiers had truly wanted to hurt the colonists without reason, then they would not have waited so long to do