Bent, William, 1809-69, American frontiersman, b. St. Louis. One of the younger brothers of Charles Bent, he was for many years the manager of
Bent's Fort, while Charles Bent lived mainly in Taos. William Bent was one of the most widely known and highly respected traders in the West. He scouted for Stephen W. Kearny and Sterling Price in the Mexican War. In 1849 he destroyed the fort, building another farther down the Arkansas River (1853).
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