What Happened To Captain Preston's Shooting?

On March 5, 1770, British soldiers were badgered to the point of outrage by a small group of boys (Wheeler and Becker, 75). The soldiers eventually retaliated at the group and the church bells started ringing alarming the town that a fire had broken out only leading the numbers in the crowd to increase (Wheeler and Becker, 75). Captain Thomas Preston and his sentry were called to the scene to assist. However, their attempts to redirect the crowd were unsuccessful. It is at this point that a musket was fired and the situation continued to escalate leaving some dead and others wounded (Wheeler and Becker, 75). Was Captain Thomas Preston guilty of murder by ordering his soldiers to fire? Or was he innocent and the soldiers fired out of provocation and their own volition? Let us take a moment to examine the evidence which was solely based on eyewitness testimonies. According to Captain Preston, when he arrived to the commotion the crowd was still continuing to grow and becoming increasingly belligerent (Wheeler and Becker, 81). He then attempted to redirect both the crowd and
According to Richard Palmes, he asked the Captain if he intended to fire to which he replied "by no means" (Wheeler and Becker, 86). Another witness, William Wyatt, who was also very close to the disturbance, alleged that the mob was yelling fire and Captain Preston did reprimand his men for firing without his orders (Wheeler and Becker, 83). James Woodall confirmed that a stick causing the soldier to instantaneously fire struck a soldier. He ascertained that the Captain did not give the order to fire (Wheeler and Becker, 88). Consistent with all the testimonies, Edward Hill observed the Captain ordering one of his soldiers to put away his gun stating that he "have done mischief enough" (Wheeler and Becker,