William Trent: Factor of Ambition

On December 1st, 1784, along a cold and wintry Fourth Street in Philadelphia, Major William Trent sputtered his last breath surrounded by friends and family and soon became forgotten in history. The son of a Philadelphia shipping merchant and the namesake for the capital of New Jersey, Trent’s own legacy as a gentleman, throughout the latter half of the eighteenth century was always remembered for his controversial role at Fort Pitt in “gifting” smallpox blankets to the Indians that early summer of 1763. The truth is, however, over the course of his life Trent was always given an unfair depiction as a scapegoat and blamed for villainy that was not his own creation. A seasoned veteran officer of three different conflicts, he was praised for his “frame of speech to the Indians, in their style”. He was also the factor for one of the most powerful land speculating companies in the world because of his notorious reputation of excellent penmanship and ledger keeping. By the eve of the American Revolution, Trent became the courageous face of westward expansion that began diligently alongside his friend and “king of the traders” George Croghan.From the author of Pittsburgh’s Lost Outpost: Captain Trent’s Fort, comes a new definitive look through the eyes of a misunderstood backcountry merchant who not only overcame obstacles and suffered loss, but whose strong quill and rebellious interactions with future founding fathers Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, ambitiously helped shape and form the future United States of America. Read more