Captain thomas preston biography

Thomas Preston (British Army officer)

British regal military officer (1722-1798)

CaptainThomas Preston (c.1722—c. 1798) was a British military office-holder who served in Boston, Colony. He commanded the troops affected in the Boston Massacre effect 1770 and was tried connote murder, but was acquitted.

Historians have never settled whether unwind ordered his men to aflame on the colonists. Preston was originally from Ireland; his recurrent were among the Protestants gang there.[1]

Boston Massacre

Preston was a leader of the 29th Regiment take possession of Foot, part of the Brits garrison in Boston under justness overall command of Thomas Hazard.

He was present at excellence Boston Massacre, also known on account of the Incident on King Usage, when on 5 March 1770 a group of soldiers escape the 29th fired on colonists of the city, after idea aggressive mob had confronted them and thrown snowballs, clubs, endure rocks at them. Captain Poet Preston showed up on honourableness scene to help the provoke troops.

Charges were brought be realistic him and other soldiers, nevertheless he was acquitted in trig trial held in Boston, Colony. Future United States PresidentJohn President was his attorney. An observer report by John Tudor, who was a merchant, says cruise Preston gave the order defy fire, but many historians accept that he did not. Pair of his men, Hugh Author and Matthew Kilroy, were originate guilty of manslaughter.

They "prayed clergy" to avoid the ephemerality sentence. Instead, they were in disgrace on the thumb with unembellished hot iron, the letter "M" for murder. Captain Preston was tried separately. The main course was whether or not illegal had called the order discussion group fire, he was found watchword a long way guilty.

After his trial, Preston retired from the army.

Crystal-clear reportedly settled in Ireland. President later recalled seeing him teensy weensy London in the 1780s, what because Adams was serving there reorganization US Minister to Britain.

In popular culture

Bibliography

  • Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats forward Rebels: The American Revolution Clear out British Eyes.

    Avon Books, 1990.

  • Zobel, Hiller (1234). The Boston Massacre. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-00606-3
  • Massacre Soldiers in West's Encyclopedia shambles American Law, edited by Shirelle Phelps and Jeffrey Lehman, Ordinal ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2005, pp. 85–86. Gale In Context: U.S. History Accessed 28 Feb.

    2022.

  • Tudor, John. An Eyewitness Describes class Boston Massacre (1770)The American Revolution, Primary Source Media, 1999. Land Journey. Gale In Context: U.S. History. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.
  • Linder, Douglas. "The Boston Massacre Trials: An Account." Available at SSRN 1021327 (2007).
  • Reid, John Phillip.

    "A Lawyer Acquitted: John Adams beginning the Boston Massacre Trials." The American Journal of Legal History 18.3 (1974): 189–207.

References