Wilton road tells of link to Revolutionary War

Even though most roads are named for longtime residents, there must have been a reason for choosing a particular family. But some names stand out, such as Wilton’s Bennington Battle Trail. The Revolutionary War battle was fought in 1777 near Bennington, Vt. Bennington is considered one of the most important battles in New England, since it led to the decisive American victory later at Saratoga, N.Y. “Historical Sketches of Wilton, N.H.,” a small book published to commemorate the town’s 200th anniversary in 1939, has a short chapter titled “Tree in Davisville Once Sheltered Red Coats.” While the “huge tree, which today stands majestically overlooking the hill” certainly existed until recently, whether British soldiers stopped to rest under it is questionable. The story, said to have been “handed down from one generation to another,” has been, at the very least, romanticized. The story says British regulars were on their way to Bennington; they were hot and tired and stopped to rest. It was the British that our patriots fought when they got there, the colonial army led by Gen.