On the other side, the British soldiers stationed in Boston also played a crucial role in the events leading up to the Boston Massacre. The soldiers were sent to the colonies to maintain order and enforce British laws, but their presence was met with hostility from the colonists. The soldiers were often involved in confrontations with the colonists, leading to escalating tensions between the two groups. The actual events of the Boston Massacre are still debated to this day, with conflicting accounts of what transpired on that fateful night. According to some eyewitnesses, a group of colonists began taunting and harassing the British soldiers, throwing snowballs and debris at them. In response, the soldiers fired into the crowd, leading to the deaths of five colonists. Others argue that the British soldiers acted in self-defense, claiming that they were provoked by the hostile actions of the colonists. Captain Thomas Preston, the officer in charge of the British soldiers, maintained that his men had only fired in response to being threatened by the