Private Hugh Montgomery was a soldier of the 29th Regiment of Foot who was present at the

Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre (known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street) was a confrontation in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which a group of nine British soldiers shot five people out of a crowd of three or four hundred who were harassing t ...

. He killed one man and was found guilty of manslaughter.

The Boston Massacre

On 5 March 1770, seven British soldiers, including Montgomery, were dispatched to King Street in Boston, Massachusetts, to relieve Private Hugh White. Montgomery was the first British soldier to fire in what subsequently became known as the Boston Massacre."Private Hugh Montgomery was the First Man to Fire"
''bostonmassacre.net''. Retrieved 10 November 2010. On 27 March, Montgomery was indicted for

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

. He was held in prison pending trial, which took place in November–December 1770, in Boston.

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

, who would later become

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, was his attorney. Montgomery and fellow soldier Matthew Kilroy were both found guilty of manslaughter on 5 December. They returned to court nine days later and "prayed clergy" to avoid the death sentence. Instead, they were branded on the thumb, with a hot iron, the letter "M" for murder."The Summary of the Boston Massacre Trial"
''bostonmassacre.net''. Retrieved 9 November 2010. The two reportedly burst into tears before receiving the punishment.Fleming, Thomas J
"Verdicts of History I: The Boston Massacre"
. ''americanheritage.com''. Retrieved 9 November 2010. Montgomery had a wife and four children staying with him in Boston.

References

Worcestershire Regiment soldiers British people convicted of manslaughter People acquitted of murder Year of birth uncertain 1770 deaths Boston Massacre British mass murderers {{UK-army-bio-stub