From the trial of the soldiers at the Boston Massacre:
Answer. No. Upon this, I went to go as close to the officer as I could. One of the persons who was talking with the officer turned about quick to the people and said, “Damn him, he is going to fire!” Upon that, they cried out, “Fire and be damned, who cares! Damn you, you dare not fire,” and began to throw snowballs and other things, which then flew pretty thick.
Question. Did they hit any of them?
Answer. Yes, I saw two or three of them hit. One struck a grenadier on the hat. And the people who were right before them had sticks, and as the soldiers were pushing their guns back and forth, they struck their guns, and one hit a grenadier on the fingers.
At this time, the people up at the Town House called again, “Come away! Come away!” A stout man who stood near me and right before the grenadiers as they pushed with their bayonets the length of their arms, kept striking on their guns.
The people seemed to be leaving the soldiers and to turn from them when there came down a number from Jackson’s corner huzzaing and crying, “Damn them, they dare not fire!” “We are not afraid of them!”
One of these people, a stout man with a long cordwood stick, threw himself in and made a blow at the officer. I saw the office try to fend off the stroke. Whether he struck him or not, I do not know. The stout man then turned round and struck the grenadier’s gun at the Captain’s right hand and immediately fell in with his club and knocked his gun away and struck him over the head. The blow came either on the soldier’s cheek or hat.
This stout man held the bayonet with his left hand and twitched it and cried, “Kill the dogs! Knock them over!” This was the general cry. The people then crowded in and, upon that, the grenadier gave a twitch back and relieved his gun, and he up with it and began to pay away on the people. I was then betwixt the officer and this grenadier. I turned to go off. When I had got away about the length of a gun, I turned to look towards the officer, and I heard the word, “Fire!” I thought I heard the report of a gun and, upon hearing the report, I saw the same grenadier swing his gun and immediately he discharged it.
And interestingly, the British soldiers were defended by John Adams at the trial.
Thanks, I hadn’t seen this before. “Coming soon to a town square near you!”