Young folks' history of the United States . THE BRITISH GENERAL AND THE BOSTON BOYS. used often to insult the red-coated soldiers, callingthem lobsters, bloody-backs, and such names, andthreatening to drive them from the town. On theother hand, the soldiers used to be allowed, by theirofficers, to stray about the town in the evening, car-rying their guns, and without any proper authorityto control them. One moonlight evening (March 5, break. .68 YOUNG folks united states. 1770), some soldiers were going about in this way, andThe out- got into a quarrel, as they often did. As they weretaunting
Young folks' history of the United States . THE BRITISH GENERAL AND THE BOSTON BOYS. used often to insult the red-coated soldiers, callingthem lobsters, bloody-backs, and such names, andthreatening to drive them from the town. On theother hand, the soldiers used to be allowed, by theirofficers, to stray about the town in the evening, car-rying their guns, and without any proper authorityto control them. One moonlight evening (March 5, break. .68 YOUNG folks united states. 1770), some soldiers were going about in this way, andThe out- got into a quarrel, as they often did. As they weretaunting the people, and calling, Where are they ?Where are the cowards ? some boys began to snow-ball them, crying, Down with them ! Drive them totheir barracks ! The noise increased, until the guardwas called out, commanded by Captain Preston. He. PEOPLE ATTACKING THE SOLDIERS IN BOSTON. came roughly through the crowd, with six or eight men,whom he drew up in line. Many of the people fellback : but about a dozen men, some of whom hadsticks, advanced to meet the soldiers, and spoke angrilyto them; and some, it was said, struck at the musketswith sticks. The noise increased every moment, tillat last Captain Preston gave the word, Fire ! When THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 169 the smoke had cleared away, there were eleven menstretched upon the ground, of whom eight werewounded, and three killed. Among these last wasCrispus Attucks, a mulatto, and the leader of themob. This affair made an intense excitement; andCaptain Preston was tried for murder. But some ofthe leading lawyers of Boston, who were also eminentpatriots, defended him on the ground that he haddone his duty as an officer; and he was public indignation was, however, so great over thewhole affair, that the two regiments of troops were soonremoved to the
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