George Bancroft （b. 1800,d. 1891） was born at Worcester,Mass. He was an ambitious student,and graduated at Harvard College before he was eighteen years of age. He then traveled in Europe,spending some time at the German universities. On his return,in 1822,he was appointed tutor in Greek at Harvard. His writings at this time were a small volume of original poems,some translations from Schiller and Goethe,and a few striking essays. Mr. Bancroft has held numerous high political offices. In 1838 he was appointed collector of the port at Boston;in 1845 he was made secretary of the Navy;in 1849 he was sent as United States Minister tGreat Britain;and in 1867 he was sent in the same capacity tPrussia. The work which has given Mr. Bancroft his great literary reputation is his "History of the United States,from the Discovery of the American Continent." The first volume appeared in 1834. Philosophical in reasoning,interesting,terse in style,and founded on careful research,under the most favorable advantages,the work stands alone in its sphere.
1.The evening of the fifth came on. The young moon was shining brightly in a cloudless winter sky,and its light was increased by a new-fallen snow. Parties of soldiers were driving about the streets,making a parade of valor,challenging resistance,and striking the inhabitants indiscriminately1 with sticks or sheathed cutlasses.
2.A band,which poured out from Murray's barracks,in Brattle Street,armed with clubs,cutlasses,and bayonets,provoked resistance,and a fray ensued2. Ensign3Maul,at the gate of the1Indiscriminately,without distinction. 2 Ensued,followed,resulted from.
3Ensign. an officer of low rank.barrack yard,cried tthe soldiers: "Turn out,and I will stand by you;kill them;stick them;knock them down;run your bayonets through them." One soldier after another leveled a firelock1,and threatened t"make a lane" through the crowd.
3.Just before nine,as an officer crossed King Street,now State Street,a barber's lad cried after him: "There goes a mean fellow whhath not paid my father for dressing his hair;" on which,the sentinel stationed at the westerly end of the customhouse,on the corner of King Street and Exchange Lane,left his post,and with his musket gave the boy a stroke on the head,that made him stagger and cry for pain.
4.The street soon became clear,and nobody troubled the sentry,when a party of soldiers issued violently from the main guard,their arms glittering in the moonlight,and passed on,hallooing: "Where are they? where are they? Let them come."
5.Presently twelve or fifteen more,uttering the same cries,rushed from the south intKing Street,and sby the way of Cornhill towards Murray's barracks. "Pray,soldiers,spare my life," cried a boy of twelve,whom they met. "No,no,I'll kill you all," answered one of them,and knocked him down with his cutlass. They abused and insulted several persons at their doors and others in the street;"running about like madmen in a fury," crying,"Fire!" which seemed their watchword,and,"Where are they? Knock them down." Their outrageous behavior occasioned the ringing of the bell at the head of King Street.
6.The citizens,whom the alarm set in motion,came out with canes and clubs;and,partly by the interference of well-disposed officers,partly by the courage of Crispus Attucks,a mulatto,and some others,the fray at the barracks was soon over. Of the citizens,the prudent shouted,"Home! home!" others,it is said,cried out,"Huzza for the main guard! there is the nest;" but the main guard was not molested the whole evening.1 Firelock,an old-style musket,with flintlock.
7.A body of soldiers came up Royal Exchange Lane,crying ,"Where are the cowards?" and,brandishing1 their arms,passed through King Street. From ten ttwenty boys came after them,asking,"Where are they? where are they?" "There is the soldier whknocked me down," said the barber's boy;and they began pushing one another towards the sentinel. He loaded and primed his musket. "The lobster is going tfire," cried a boy. Waving his piece about,the sentinel pulled the trigger.
8."If you fire you must die for it," said Henry Knox,whwas passing by. "I don't care," replied the sentry,"if they touch me,I'll fire." "Fire!" shouted the boys,for they were persuaded he could not dit without leave from a civil officer;and a young fellow spoke out,"We will knock him down for snapping," while they whistled through their fingers and huzzaed. "Stand off !" said the sentry,and shouted aloud,"Turn out,main guard!" "They are killing the sentinel," reported a servant from the customhouse,running tthe main guard. "Turn out! why don't you turn cut?" cried Preston,whwas captain of the day,tthe guard.
9.A party of six,twof whom,Kilroi and Montgomery,had been worsted at the ropewalk,formed,with a corporal in front and Preston following. With bayonets fixed,they "rushed through the people" upon the trot,cursing them,and pushing them as they went along. They found about ten persons round the sentry,while about fifty or sixty came down with them. "For God's sake," said Knox! holding Preston by the coat,"take your men back again;if they fire,your life must answer for the consequences." "I know what I am about," said he hastily,and much agitated.
10.None pressed on them or provoked them till they began loading,when a party of about twelve in number,with sticks in their hands,moved from the middle of the street where they had been standing,gave three cheers,and passed along the front of the soldiers,whose muskets some of them struck as they went by. "You are1 Brandishing,waving,flourishing.
Cowardly rascals," they said,"for bringing arms against naked men." "Lay aside your guns,and we are ready for you." "Are the soldiers loaded?" inquired Palmes of Preston. "Yes," he answered,"with powder and ball." "Are they going tfire upon the inhabitants?" asked Theodore Bliss. "They can not,without my orders," replied Preston;while "the town-born" called out,"Come on,you rascals,you bloody backs,you lobster scoundrels,fire,if you dare. We know you dare not."
11.Just then,Montgomery received a blow from a stick which had hit his Musket;and the word "fire!" being given by Preston,he stepped a little tone side,and shot Attucks,what the time was quietly leaning on a long stick. "Don't fire!" said Langford,the watchman,tKilroi,looking him full in the face;but yet he did so,and Samuel Gray,whwas standing next Langford,fell lifeless. The rest fired slowly and in succession on the people,whwere dispersing. Three persons were killed,among them Attucks,the mulatto;eight were wounded,twof them mortally. Of all the eleven,not more than one had any share in the disturbance.
12.Sinfuriated were the soldiers that,when the men returned ttake up the dead,they prepared tfire again,but were checked by Preston,while the Twenty-ninth Regiment appeared under arms in King Street. "This is our time," cried the soldiers of the Fourteenth;and dogs were never seen more greedy for their prey.
13.The bells rung in all the churches;the town drums beat. "Tarms! tarms!" was the cry. "Our hearts," said Warren,"beat tarms,almost resolved by one stroke tavenge the death of our slaughtered brethren;" but they stood self-possessed1,demanding justice according tthe law. "Did you not know that you should not have fired without the order of a civil magistrate?" asked Hutchinson,on meeting Preston. "I did it," answered Preston,"tsave my men."
14.The people would not be pacified2 or retire till the regiment1Selfpossessed,undisturbed,calm in mind,manner,etc. 2 Pacified,calmed,quieted.was confined tthe guardroom and the barracks;and Hutchinson himself gave assurances that instant inquiries should be made by the county magistrates. One hundred persons remained tkeep watch on the examination,which lasted till three hours after midnight. A warrant1 was issued against Preston,whsurrendered himself tthe sheriff;and the soldiers of his party were delivered up and committed tprison.
1 Warrant,a writ authorizing an officer tseize an offender.