Trenton At War

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More About Trenton At War

House on Both Sides

In the early years of the War for Independence, the Trent House - then called Kingsbury - was owned by Dr. William Bryant, a physician and loyalist. During the days leading up to the battle of Trenton, Dr. Bryant’s riverfront property was occupied by Hessian troops, while Continental Army batteries were placed across the river so as to include Dr. Bryant’s House and the Trenton Ferry crossing within their field of fire. A Hessian picket at the Assunpink Creek bridge sent a patrol down to Bryant’s house every half hour, and sentinels were posted at Bryant’s house.

In late August 1781 the house saw French artillery on its property during the brief encampment of the combined armies of General Washington and General Rochambeau in Trenton. Rochambeau's army stationed cannon there before being ferried across the Delaware to continue the march to Yorktown and the defeat of Cornwallis, effectively ending the War.

William Bryant - Loyalist, Patriot, or in-between?

John Cox, Ardent Patriot

Colonel John Cox, a wealthy Philadelphia patriot and Deputy Quartermaster General of the Continental Army, acquired the house and turned the grounds into a supply depot for Washington’s army.

Trenton Eyewitnesses to the Revolution

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First People

Colonial Trenton

Trenton Makes

Trent House's Neighbors

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