page_title: Peter Francisco
section_title: American Revolutionary War
hierarchical_section_title: Peter Francisco / American Revolutionary War
caption_attribution_description: English: Monument to Continental soldier Peter Francisco at the site of the present-day Guilford Courthouse National Military Park at present-day Greensboro, North Carolina.
context_page_description: Peter Francisco, born Pedro Francisco, known variously as the "Virginia Giant", the "Giant of the Revolution" and, occasionally, the "Virginia Hercules", was a Portuguese-born American patriot and soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
context_section_description: At the age of 16, Francisco joined the 10th Virginia Regiment in 1776, and soon gained notoriety for his size and strength. He fought with distinction at numerous engagements, including the Battle of Brandywine in September. He fought a few skirmishes under Colonel Daniel Morgan, before transferring to the regiment of Colonel John Mayo of Powhatan. In October, Francisco rejoined his regiment and fought in the Battle of Germantown, and also appeared with the troops at Fort Mifflin on Port Island in the Delaware River. Francisco was hospitalized at Valley Forge for two weeks following these skirmishes. On June 28, 1778, he fought at Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, where a musket ball tore through his right thigh. He never fully recovered from this wound, but fought at Cowpens and other battles.
  Francisco was part of General "Mad" Anthony Wayne's attack on the British fort of Stony Point on the Hudson River. Upon attacking the fort, Francisco suffered a nine-inch gash in his stomach, but continued to fight; he was second to enter the fort.  He killed twelve British grenadiers and captured the enemy flag. 
  Francisco's entry into the fort is mentioned in Wayne's report on the battle to General Washington, dated July 17, 1779, and in a letter written by Captain William Evans to accompany Francisco's letter to the Virginia General Assembly in November 1820 for pay. As a result of being among the second man to enter the fort, he received 200 dollars. 
  Following the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, Francisco noticed the Americans were leaving behind one of their valuable cannons, mired in mud. Legend says he freed and picked up the approximately 1,100-pound cannon and carried it on his shoulder to keep it from falling into the hands of the enemy. In a letter Francisco wrote to the Virginia General Assembly on November 11, 1820, he said that at Camden, he had shot a grenadier who had tried to shoot Colonel Mayo. He escaped by bayoneting one of Banastre Tarleton's cavalrymen and fled on the horse making cries to make the British think he was a Loyalist. The horse was later given to Mayo.
  Hearing that Colonel William Washington was headed on a march through the Carolinas, Francisco joined him, seeing action at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina. He allegedly killed eleven men on the field of battle, including one who wounded him severely in the thigh with a bayonet.  In his own words, Francisco was "seen to kill two men, besides making many other panes [sic] which were doubtless fatal to others." The feat is commemorated with a monument to Francisco at the National Military Park.
caption: Monument to Francisco, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
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