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The
History of Captain William Trent's Company |
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William Trent was a native of Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania and was born around 1715. He entered the service
of Pennsylvania at an early day. In June, 1746, Governor Thomas
appointed him captain of one of four companies, raised in
Pennsylvania, for an intended expedition against Canada. In
December, 1747, he was honorably discharged.
Between 1749 and 1753, Trent was a justice of the court,
a messenger to the Ohio Indians, formed a partnership with
George Coghan to engage in Indian trade, employed by Virginia
as an agent of the colony at Logstown in their council with
the Ohio Indians and appointed factor of the Ohio Company
in 1752. |
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In July 1753, Trent and two others
were designated by the Ohio Company's stockholders to build
their fort on the Ohio river and to construct a wagon road from
the company's store at Wills Creek to the mouth of Redstone
Creek on the Monongahela. Here, Trent was to build a fortified
storehouse for supplies which could be carried later by water
to the mouth of the Monongahela. This structure was nearing
completion when Thomas Cresap delivered trent his captain's
commission, issued by Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia. It charged
him to enlist 100 men , build a fort at the forks of the Ohio
and in company with the friendly Six Nations "to keep possession
of His Majesty's lands on the Ohio and the waters thereof."
Trent dispatched messengers throughout the country, especially
Augusta County, Virginia, to collect scattered traders and woodsmen
for his company. These men constituted practically his sole
source of recruits, since only a few families were settled west
of the mountains, and the thickly populated settlements were
over fifty miles to the eastward. |
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Trent started for the forks of
the Ohio with a crew of only 33 men. On February 17, 1754,
he arrived at the head of the Ohio River and began felling
trees for the fort to be built in the juncture of the 'Y'
formed by the merging of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers,
and to be names, in honor of England's royal heir, Fort Prince
George.
On April 17, Captain Trent was at Wills Creek, in search
of supplies, Ensign Ward had been left in command to complete
the fortification work. Ward had just finished hanging the
stockade gate in place, at about one-thirty in the afternoon,
when he heard a shout. He looked to the east and saw on the
Allegheny an endless armada of small vessels flying the fluer-de-lys. |
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The french pulled ashore on the
left bank about 150 yards above the point. Approximately 500
well armed, white uniformed soldiers unload eighteen pieces
of artillery, including 3 cannons of nine-pounder caliber,
and trained 2 of the pieces on the flimsy fort. The French
commander informed the English they had one hour to surrender
or be blown to pieces.
Ward stated that he was of too low a rank to comply, but
this was not accepted. Reconsidering, the surrender terms
were accepted. |
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The next day the English started
back and met with Washington and his force at Wills Creek.
Washington tried to enlist these traders into his company
of the Provincial Virginia Regiment. They informed him they
had signed up as militia, not as volunteers, and so were not
subject to his orders.
Washington ordered the men to go to Captain Trent's place
near Wills Creek and there wait for orders from Williamsburg.
they refused, disbanded themselves, and went about their own
business.
Captain William trent's company was reactivated in August,
1982, by individuals interested in authentically portraying
this era of life and time in Southwestern Pennsylvania. |
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