Thomas Preston

"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.

Thomas Preston (c. 1722 – c. 1798) was an officer in the British Army, infamous for his role in the Boston Massacre in 1770.

Biography

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.

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, 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, taunting them to fire.

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, 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.

Following his involvement in the Boston Massacre, Preston was investigated and tried for manslaughter, 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. 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.

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 entry for the Boston Massacre, as well as a newspaper article discussing the event.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed III