Peter Francisco
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- This article is about Peter Francisco, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. For the South African snooker player, see Peter Francisco (snooker player).
Peter Francisco (c. 1760/61-January 16, 1831), known variously as the "Virginia Giant" or the "Giant of the Revolution" (and occasionally as the "Virginia Hercules" or some variant thereof), was a hero of the American Revolution. The cover page of a 2006 issue of Military History asked a rhetorical question which suggested he may have been the greatest soldier in American History. George Washington once said that Francisco's prowess directly enabled American victories in two battles. Washington went on to state the war may have even been lost without Francisco's participation.
Francisco's origins are shrouded in mystery. According to the traditional version of his biography*, he was found, crying, on the docks at City Point, Virginia, one afternoon in 1765. When he had calmed down enough to talk, it was discovered that he spoke a language that sounded like Spanish, but was not. (It quite possibly may have been Portuguese). It is believed that he was born in the Azores sometime around 1760. Eventually, he was able to tell his story; he told of being in a "beautiful place with palm trees," playing with his little sister, when two large men seized them both. The sister was able to break free, but Peter was not, and he was put on a large ship that eventually brought him to City Point. It is possible that the children were to be held for ransom.
Peter was soon taken in by Judge Anthony Winston of Buckingham County, Virginia, an uncle of Patrick Henry. He remained with Winston and his family until the beginning of the American Revolution. When he was old enough to work, he was trained as a blacksmith, a profession chosen for him because of his massive size and strength (he grew to be well over six feet six inches tall and weigh some 260 pounds). Francisco became embroiled in the movement for American independence; he was present outside St. John's Church in Richmond when Patrick Henry made his famous "Liberty or Death" speech.
Francisco joined the militia in 1777, and soon gained notoriety for his size and strength. He was unable to fight with a regular broadsword; George Washington (at Lafayette's request) soon had a special sword, measuring some five feet long, forged for him. Peter fought with distinction at numerous engagements of the Revolution. He was wounded at Brandywine, and recuperated (at Valley Forge) in the same room as Lafayette, with whom he became great friends. He also fought at Monmouth (where he was again wounded), Cowpens, and Stony Point (where legend has it he was bayoneted, and was the second to enter the fort. While Francisco may well have been at Stony Point, much of his role appears to be myth as no contemporary account of the battle mentions Francisco and the first men who entered the fort are mentioned in dispatches as Lieutant Colonel Fleury, Lientant Knox and Seargants Baker, Spencer and Donlop). He then fought a few skirmishes under Colonel Morgan, before transferring to the regiment of one Colonel Mayo of Powhatan. Francisco was present at General Gates' defeat at the battle of Camden, where he pulled a small cannon back to the retreating revolutionaries. Hearing that Colonel Watkins was headed on a march through the Carolinas, Francisco joined him, seeing action at Guilford Courthouse. His actions here are legendary; he killed eleven men on the field of battle, including one that wounded him severely with a bayonet. The feat is commemorated with a monument on the field of battle. Francisco was rescued and nursed back to health by a Quaker family.
After Guilford Courthouse, Francisco was sent home to Buckingham to recuperate. It was on this journey that he performed his best-known action, Francisco's Fight. In it, he singlehandedly defeated a band of Tarleton's Raiders, escaping with their horses. Peter was ordered by his commanding officer to join the army at Yorktown, where he was present at the British surrender (though he did not fight.)
After the Revolution, Francisco went home to Buckingham and led a quiet life. He married three times, fathering many children. He was appointed sergeant-at-arms of the Virginia Senate. In 1824 he accompanied Lafayette on part of his tour of the United States, showing him portions of eastern Virginia. Peter died, most likely of appendicitis, in January, 1831; he was buried in Shockoe Cemetery. A good portion of the state Senate turned out for the funeral.
Legends of Francisco's strength abound. He singlehandedly pulled an 1,100 pound American cannon free from its gun carriage during the retreat from Camden, a feat which was commemorated in 1975 on an American postage stamp in the Contributors to the Cause Bicentennial series; a team of six mules is said to have been unable to dislodge the weapon. He is also said to have thrown two men, along with their horses, over a fence near his farm when they attempted to annoy him.
Peter Francisco's farmhouse, Locust Grove, still stands outside of the town of Buckingham. One of his swords (though not that ordered for him by General Washington) is on display in the Buckingham County Historical Museum in Buckingham.
- Other versions hold that Peter was in fact taken to Ireland; there, he indentured himself to a sea captain, and it was this captain that took him to City Point, where he was thrown into the poorhouse until taken in by Judge Winston. However, in this version the generally accepted dates given for Francisco's birth and transport do not seem to line up; the story is almost certainly legend, not fact.
