William Smith, private in the 1st Somerset Militia. “I heard no order to fire. The firing was in an independent manner, one after another, till nearly all the guard had fired, and then they loaded again. No order was given to fire.”
John Tutt, private. “Can’t say exactly who ordered us to charge, but think it was Captain Shortland’s voice.... While charging, a stone knocked off my cap.... I heard the order for the firing in the square; it commenced while I was picking up my cap.”
William Rowles, private. “Captain Shortland gave the order to charge.... I heard an order to fire, but don’t know from whom.... I entered the prison yard, saw a soldier level his musket into prison No. 3. I heard no order to the soldier to fire into No. 3; saw no officer there at this time.”
John Hamlet, private. “I heard the order to charge by Capt. Shortland.... I was struck by a stone in advancing.... I heard an order to fire given before any firing took place, but don’t know by whom.”
John Williams, sergeant. “I heard no order to fire; our guard seeing the state the prisoners were in began firing of their own accord.”
John Twyford Jolliff, major commanding, handed in a written statement, dated 7 April, 1815: “Yesterday evening, between the hours of six and seven o’clock, soon after the officers’ dinner, the mess-waiter came into the mess-room and said that the American prisoners had broken out of the prison, and were attempting their escape. I immediately ordered the troops composing the garrison to fall in at the alarm post. Whilst the troops were forming, I heard several shots fired, upon which I immediately took the grenadiers and proceeded to the west guard.... Upon my arrival several of the troops were formed in the market-place, and had fired some shots. I immediately called out to them to cease firing, and finding that the prisoners still refused to go into their prison, I took a party of grenadiers and went into two of the prison yards, and told the soldiers [prisoners?] to go into their prisons, which they very reluctantly did. Several stones were thrown at the military.... The military fired a few shot at the prisoners in the yard, in consequence of their throwing stones and refusing to go into the prison, but the firing was without any orders, and I conceive took place owing to the military being so exasperated. As soon as the prisoners were all gone into their different prisons and properly secured, I returned to the barracks.” He added, “Several shots were fired in the prison yards, but entirely without any command.”
George Pett, sergeant, testified to the efforts made by Major Joliffe to put an end to the firing.
Henry Burgoyne, private, was on the platform when the alarm bell rang, but left it for the Market Square. “I heard an order to fire, but don’t know who gave it.”
Edward Jackson, private of the Derby Militia, was on the platform. “I think there had been two volleys in the Market Square before the men on the platform fired. No order was given to fire on my platform; to the best of my recollection I think I heard a command ‘to commence firing from the right.’ I saw no tumult in the yard before the firing.”