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The Heroes and Battles of the American Revolution
The Heroes and Battles of the American Revolution Author:John Frost Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: BOSTON MASSACRE. The British senate had been assured by Franklin that a military force despatched to America, though it would not find, would easilj creat... more »e a rebellion; but more credit had been given by the present ministers to the representations of Bernard, Hutchinson, Oliver, Paxton, and other partisans of prerogative, that an impending rebellion could be averted only by the exhibition of military power. Ever since the arrival of the troops at Boston, the inhabitants of this city had regarded the presence of these instruments of despotic authority with an increasing sense of indignity ; and reciprocal insults and injuries paved the way for a tragical event which made a deep and lasting impression of resentment in America. An affray which commenced between an inhabitant of the town and a private soldier, having been gradually extended by the participation of the fellow- citizens of the one and the comrades of the olher, terminated to the advantage of the soldiers, and inflamed the people with a passionatedesire of vengeance, which, it has been justly or unjustly surmised, Whs fomented by some persons of consideration, who hoped that the removal of the troops would be promoted by a conflict between them and the towns-people. A corresponding animosity was cherished by the soldiers, some of whom had been severely hurt in the affray. They began to carry clubs in their hands when they walked in the streets, gave other symptoms of willingness to renew the conflict, and evinced the most insulting contempt for a people to whom their presence was already sufficiently offensive. After the lapse of three days from the first affray, and after various symptoms had betrayed that some dangerous design was harboured on both sides, a party of soldiers while under arms in the evening were ...« less