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{{Era| | {{Era|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL|Thomas Preston (British Army officer)}} | ||
{{ | {{Quote|No good can come of this chaos! Return to your homes and all will be forgiven!|Thomas Preston, shouting at the crowd shortly before the Boston Massacre, 1770.|Assassin's Creed III|A Trip to Boston}} | ||
{{Quote|No good can come of this chaos! Return to your homes and all will be forgiven!|Thomas Preston, | |||
{{Character Infobox | {{Character Infobox | ||
|name = Thomas Preston | | name = Thomas Preston | ||
|image = AC3-Thomas Preston.png | | image = AC3-Thomas Preston.png | ||
|birth = 1722<br>[[ | | birth = c. 1722<br>[[Ireland]] | ||
|death = 1798 | | death = c. 1798 | ||
| | | species = [[Human]] | ||
| | | affiliates = [[British Army]] | ||
'''Thomas Preston''' (1722 | }} | ||
'''Thomas Preston''' (c. 1722 – c. 1798) was an officer in the [[British Army]], infamous for his role in the [[Boston Massacre]] in 1770. | |||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
Originally | Originally from [[Ireland]], Preston joined the British Army and rose to the rank of officer. He was later stationed with the 29th Regiment of Foot in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref name="Wiki">{{WP|Thomas Preston (British Army officer)}}</ref> | ||
On 5 March 1770, the [[ | On 5 March 1770, an angry mob formed outside the [[Old State House]] to seek justice after an altercation between a British [[soldier]] and several colonists. Preston arrived with his men to try and pacify the crowd,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: The Boston Massacre]]</ref> beseeching the colonists to end their act of rebellion and return to their homes. His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as the crowd continued to chastise the soldiers,<ref name="A Trip to Boston">''Assassin's Creed III'' – [[A Trip to Boston]]</ref> taunting them to fire.<ref name="Database">''Assassin's Creed III'' – [[Database: Boston Massacre]]</ref> | ||
Nonetheless, Preston attempted to diffuse the situation by talking with the crowd. When asked if his soldiers' [[musket]]s were loaded, he admitted they were, though as he was standing in front of his men, he had no reason to order them to fire. Amidst all the commotion, however, a Regular was hit by a stone, causing him to drop his musket,<ref name="Database"/> and the [[Templars|Templar]] [[Charles Lee]] fired a shot into the air. Startled, the British troops believed they were under attack and opened fire on the crowd.<ref name="A Trip to Boston"/> | |||
Following his involvement in the Boston Massacre, Preston was investigated and tried for manslaughter,<ref name="Wiki"/> during which he testified that he never gave the command to fire. Ultimately, he was acquitted alongside five other soldiers involved in the massacre, while two others were found guilty but spared from the death penalty.<ref name="Database"/> After his acquittal, Preston retired from the army and reportedly settled back in Ireland, though {{Wiki|John Adams}}, his attorney and later the second President of the [[United States]], claimed to have seen him in [[London]] in the 1780s.<ref name="Wiki"/> | |||
== | ==Behind the scenes== | ||
Thomas Preston is a historical figure and character appearing in the 2012 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''. While not named during his minor appearance, his name is mentioned in the [[database]] [[Database: Boston Massacre|entry]] for the Boston Massacre, as well as a [[Database: The Boston Massacre|newspaper]] article discussing the event. | |||
== | ==Appearances== | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' | ||
{{ | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Thomas}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Thomas}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1722 births]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1798 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:British Army]] | [[Category:Individuals]] | ||
[[Category:Irish people]] | |||
[[Category:British Army personnel]] | |||
Latest revision as of 00:53, 20 May 2026
Thomas Preston (c. 1722 – c. 1798) was an officer in the British Army, infamous for his role in the Boston Massacre in 1770.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Originally from Ireland, Preston joined the British Army and rose to the rank of officer. He was later stationed with the 29th Regiment of Foot in Boston, Massachusetts.[1]
On 5 March 1770, an angry mob formed outside the Old State House to seek justice after an altercation between a British soldier and several colonists. Preston arrived with his men to try and pacify the crowd,[2] beseeching the colonists to end their act of rebellion and return to their homes. His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as the crowd continued to chastise the soldiers,[3] taunting them to fire.[4]
Nonetheless, Preston attempted to diffuse the situation by talking with the crowd. When asked if his soldiers' muskets were loaded, he admitted they were, though as he was standing in front of his men, he had no reason to order them to fire. Amidst all the commotion, however, a Regular was hit by a stone, causing him to drop his musket,[4] and the Templar Charles Lee fired a shot into the air. Startled, the British troops believed they were under attack and opened fire on the crowd.[3]
Following his involvement in the Boston Massacre, Preston was investigated and tried for manslaughter,[1] during which he testified that he never gave the command to fire. Ultimately, he was acquitted alongside five other soldiers involved in the massacre, while two others were found guilty but spared from the death penalty.[4] After his acquittal, Preston retired from the army and reportedly settled back in Ireland, though John Adams, his attorney and later the second President of the United States, claimed to have seen him in London in the 1780s.[1]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Thomas Preston is a historical figure and character appearing in the 2012 video game Assassin's Creed III. While not named during his minor appearance, his name is mentioned in the database entry for the Boston Massacre, as well as a newspaper article discussing the event.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Thomas Preston (British Army officer) on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed III – Database: The Boston Massacre
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed III – A Trip to Boston
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed III – Database: Boston Massacre