On 2 March a fight broke out between soldiers and workmen. The fight was broken up but the men involved agreed a resumption of the fracas on 5 March. On 5 March a Boston mob was out, looking for trouble. The mob attacked the soldiers who fired, killing five and wounding six - mostly onlookers behind the mob. It is debatable what actually happened.
Every contemporary report tells a different story.
The British troops had to be withdrawn from Boston to Castle William and did not return to Boston until after 1776. However, by this time the non-importation agreement began to break down and the Sons of Liberty, now calling themselves the 'Patriots' had a difficult time in maintaining the conflict between colonies and Britain. Captain Duddingston was arrogant, zealous and offensive to smugglers and traders alike. Everyone seems to have hated him. The government also decided in the autumn of 1772 that Judges of the Massachusetts court were to be paid from custom-house receipts, not by the colony.