The bloody massacre perpetrated in king street boston on march 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th regt. According to the library of congress (1):
a sensationalized portrayal of the skirmish, later to become known as the "boston massacre," between british soldiers and citizens of boston on march 5, 1770. On the right a group of seven uniformed soldiers, on the signal of an officer, fire into a crowd of civilians at left. Three of the latter lie bleeding on the ground. Two other casualties have been lifted by the crowd. In the foreground is a dog; in the background are a row of houses, the first church, and the town house. Behind the british troops is another row of buildings including the royal custom house, which bears the sign (perhaps a sardonic comment) "butcher's hall. " beneath the print are four sections of verse, which read:
unhappy boston! see thy sons deplore,
thy hallow'd walks besmear'd with guiltless gore:
while faithless p--n and his savage bands,
with murd'rous rancour stretch their bloody hands;
like fierce barbarians grinning o'er their prey,
approve the carnage, and enjoy the day. If scalding drops from rage from anguish wrung
if speechless sorrows lab'ring for a tongue,
or if a weeping world can ought appease
the plaintive ghosts of victims such as these;
the patriot's copious tears for each are shed,
a glorious tribute which embalms the dead
but know, fate summons to that awful goal,
where justice strips the murd'rer of his soul:
should venal c--ts the scandal of the land,
snatch the relentless villain from her hand,
keen execrations on this plate inscrib'd,
shall reach a judge who never can be brib'd. The unhappy sufferers were mess. S sam. L gray, sam. L maverick, jam. S caldwell, crispus attucks & pat. K carr
killed. Six wounded; two of them (christ. R monk & john clark) mortally
published in 1770 by paul revere
boston
1 print: engraving with watercolor, on laid paper; 25. 8 x 33. 4 cm. (plate). Date: 1770.
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