Answer:
I saw the people in great commotion, and heard them use
the most cruel and horrid threats against the troops . . . They
immediately surrounded the sentinel posted there, and with clubs
and other weapons threatened to execute their vengeance upon
him. I was soon informed by a townsman, their intention was to
carry off the soldier from his post, and probably murder him . . .
I immediately sent a non-commissioned officer and twelve men
to protect both the sentinel and the King’s money, and very soon
followed myself, to prevent, if possible, all disorder . . . They soon
rushed through the people, and, by charging their bayonets in half
circle, kept them at a little distance . . . The mob still increased,
and were more outrageous, striking their clubs or bludgeons,
one against the other and calling out, ‘Come on you rascals, you
bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels; fire if you dare
Explanation:
Answer:
From Captain Preston's perspective, he saw protesters using clubs and other weapons to attack the soldiers on site. In order to protect both the sentry and the king's money and to prevent disorder, he sent non-commissioned officers. As people began threatening the soldiers and shouting "fire, fire, fire", the soldiers believed that Captain Preston had ordered them to fire, killing several people, although from Preston's perspective, he never gave such an order and the soldiers believed that the mob's words were his orders.
