Virginia Giant Of The Revolution Peter Francisco

Peter Francisco, also called the, “Virginia Giant,” and the, “Giant of the Revolution,” is a revolutionary war hero who, though he is celebrated, is not celebrated enough for his great war efforts.
Not much is known about his early life, however, it is said that he was abandoned by his parents at the age of five in Virginia during 1965 and later given shelter and minimal education from Judge Anthony Winston. Later, at fifteen years old, he became an apprentice blacksmith before soon enlisting in the continental army.
At 1776 the Two hundred sixty pound and six and a half foot Peter Francisco, at a time where most men averaged five foot six, enlisted into the tenth Virginia regiment where his huge size and his amazing strength were duly noted.

In the continental army is where Peter would go on to make a name for himself and become a revolutionary hero.
As time progressed Francisco saw action at many different battles such as Brandywine, Germantown, and at Fort Mifflin in the Delaware River. Also, he along with the rest of Washington’s army spent the winter of 1777 to 1778 at Valley Forge where there were very harsh conditions. Later in June 1778 during the Battle of Monmouth he was severely wounded in the right thigh by a british musket ball. Even though he would never fully recover from this wound and he had already been wounded twice, the sixteen year old Peter Francisco would re-enlist himself into the continental army.
Peter Francisco would also still go on and further distinguish himself among the army in many other battles that he fought in.

One of these took place during General Anthony Wayne’s assault on the British fortifications at Stony Point, New York. In this attack Francisco was the second man to burst inside the British fort and in the hand-to-hand fighting that followed he suffered a nine inch gash across his stomach. While bleeding profusely he continued to fight capturing the British flag in the process. In his report to George Washington Wayne even mentions Francisco’s heroics. Another of his many battles transpired sometime later in 1780 when Francisco joined a Prince Edward County militia regiment commanded by Col. William Mayo. The regiment fought at the battle of Camden, South Carolina on August 16, 1780, where Francisco probably saved his colonel’s life when with a single shot he “put a ball and three buckshot,” as he remembered, into a British soldier who was about to bayonet Mayo. He then eventually joined a militia under Capt. Thomas Watkins. While in his company at the battle of Guilford Courthouse Francisco suffered his third wound, a deep bayonet cut into his thigh, however, he still fought ferociously. Lt. John Woodson was in the same unit as Francisco and recalled, “When leaving the Battle ground he was very Bloody also was his Sword from point to

hilt.”
What Peter may be best known to history for is “Francisco’s Fight” where the infamous Banastre Tarleton and his troops tried to capture him on his way back home to Virginia. On his way back nine of Tarleton's cavalry came and told him he was their prisoner. Seeing how he was overpowered by numbers, he made no resistance and the nine, believing him to be very peaceful, all went into a nearby tavern with their captive where they told Peter to hand over his silver buckles he wore on his shoes to which he told them that they would have to take it themselves. One of the soldiers put his sabre under his arm and reached down to grab it which then prompted Peter to steal it and strike the soldier on the head. Fighting then broke out with the same soldier trying to shoot him, Peter nearly severing his arm off, and another trying to shoot him only to have his gun misfire. He then used a horse that was left behind to flee and evade another ten men that were sent by Tarleton.
In the battle against Banastre Tarleton it is also said that Peter Francisco had moved a One thousand one hundred pound cannon to a position that was being held by a group of Continentals using his “herculean strength.” This feat was also commemorated with the issuance of a stamp by the Post Office.
After the war he married Susannah Anderson.

Susannah brought with her the estate at Locust Grove, near Richmond, Virginia where Francisco lived out his life and served as the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Virginia States Senate. Peter and Susannah had a son and a daughter and lived together before Susannah passed away in 1790, leaving Peter widowed. Catherine Brooke then became Peter’s second wife four years later in 1794 and he had three sons and a daughter together with her before she passed away as well, leaving him widowed once again. He finally married Mary Grymes West, the widow of Major West, a Virginia planter and stayed married to her until his death. until he eventually died of appendicitis in January 1831, at the age of 71. Francisco was buried with full military honors in Richmond’s Shockoe Hill Cemetery and his burial was attended by many people of high importance and

rank.
Peter Francisco was an amazing revolutionary war hero and is celebrated because of this. One of the ways he is celebrated is with the aforementioned postage stamp that was made in honor of his feat in lifting up a one thousand one hundred pound cannon. He also has many monuments constructed to praise his deeds, one of these is on display at the museum at the Guilford Courthouse and was presented to him by General Nathan Greene. Another monument is placed in New Bedford, Massachusetts and has engraved on it, “In honor of Peter Francisco the Hercules of American Independence,” and, though there is no evidence to support this, it quotes George Washington as saying, “Without him we would have lost two crucial battles, perhaps the War, and with it our freedom. He was truly a One-Man Army.” Finally, he even was important enough to have received his very own holiday. Though only in the four states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Virginia, March 15th, the date on which the Battle of Guilford Court House took place, has been recognized as Peter Francisco Day because of his large contributions to the revolutionary war.