The life of a British was miserable. Many British took the job because they were out of work. When the troops were finally out on parole, they were terribly mistreated. Any misstep by the Solder would result in severe discipline from the commander. According to the military rules, the Solders were charged for food and for supplies, including the uniforms they were required to wear. The actual payout for the Solder was not enough to make ends meat. Some Solder's tried to find other jobs just for the pay, but weren't able too. The Solders didn't receive respect from anyone, but the still did their duty valiantly.
On March 5, 1770, an angered colonist approached Hugh White, a British Solder. The colonist claimed that the Solder had not paid him for anything and started to insult the poor Solder. In an act of self-defense, the Solder struck the colonist with the butt of his gun. Soon a angry crowd formed around the troop and they began to throw things at the solder. A circle of British Solders eventually circled around the hurt solder. The colonist rebels started antagonizing to the point were they were telling the British, “Fire! You can't kill us all! Fire! I dare you!”. The situation escalated further and the rebels finally crossed the line. A club struck a solder, Hugh Montgomery, in the face, knocking him over. As a warning, Hugh got up and pointed his gun in the air and fired. This did not calm the attacker and the Private was forced