This past Saturday, the sounds of an angry mob and sporadic gunfire once again filled the streets of Boston. This time around it had nothing to do organized crime or drunken frat boys run amuck, but rather a very well done recreation of the Boston Massacre. The event is held each year around the March 5th date, which is the actual date of the event......March 5th, 1770.
With warm temperatures and no rain, the crowd was larger than normal and we had a full complement of reenactors there. It was akin to old home week....you greeted old friends you haven't seen all winter and caught up on the latest gossip. I was assigned to mob #1, which was due to "go on" first. Myself and a few mates were dressed as local merchants who might have been out on that evening only to find themselves as part of an angry mob. The street nearest to the Old State House had been cordoned off by the police and a large crowd of spectators had gathered to watch the events unfold. From where I was standing, I could hear some narration going on as an effort to whip up the crowd into the proper frame of mind. A few of us had clubs...myself being a gentleman had my walking stick....which is a refined club. Not much defence should the regulars decide to fire into the crowd.....which they did. All at once, a whistle blew and we rushed through the crowd and formed up on the perimeter of the scene. Private Hugh White stood alone facing a mob that was a bit too close for comfort. I would not have wanted to been in his shoes.......
Suddenly, the air was rent with boos and hisses as six British troops and their officer arrived on scene in an attempt to extricate Private White from the angry mob. The soldiers stood fast with bayonets ready and I watched them load.
"Shurly they do not mean to fire on the citizens?" I asked a fellow nearby (in keeping with the period). "I should say that they do, the villains!" came his reply. I stayed on the edge of the main violence, occasionally raising my stick to shout out "Isn't it enough that we must pay taxes?" The crowd at this point looked something like a rugby scrum......massed bodies being pushed back and forth.....an 18th century mosh pit if you will. Suddenly, one of the muskets fired KERRCHOOM!", I instantly ducked and turned as another musket discharged and another after that.....which is exactly what happened historically. When the shooting stopped, there were three prone bodies on the ground. "Merciful heaven what have you done?" I shouted to the regulars. The body of Crispus Attucks lay at my feet being tended to. I walked over to another fallen patriot and crouched down. "Murderers!" the crowd chanted. I stood suddenly and yelled "You will hang for this, it's murder!" I did my best to look horrified at the carnage. The soldiers said nothing, they formed up and were marched off to the side. All at once, the Governor (not the current one), made an appearance at the window of the statehouse and appealed to the crowd to disperse. His promises of a trial by law were met with roars of anger. And all at once, it was over. The bodies got to their feet and the crowd applauded! All in all, it was a very good show, I think. I was told by several of my fellow reenactors that they really got into the moment and came very close to pummeling the regulars.......a period rush, if you will. As a "gentleman", I stayed out of the mosh pit much preferring reason to violence, but that's just me.
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