The Hercules of the Revolution

This is Peter Francisco. He was born on July 9th, 1760. He is an American hero.

Such a handsome fellow, isn't he?

His early life is shrouded in mystery, as he was abandoned when he was five years old. When he was found on the cold Virginia night, he spoke no English. All the boy could say was "Pedro Francisco", and was given the name "Peter" by the locals, shortly after being taken to the local poorhouse.

How Peter arrived in America and why he was dressed so well is debated amongst historians. Records say that Pedro said himself that he had lived in a mansion near the ocean. He and his sister were kidnapped from the grounds, but his sister escaped, while Francisco was bound and taken to a ship. Historians believe it is possible that the kidnappers intended to hold the children for ransom or that they had intended to sell them as indentured servants at their destination port in North America, but changed their minds. I guess kidnappers have standards.

Taken in by a wealthy judge and raised on a farm, Peter grew to be big and strong. How big and strong? It has been said he grew to be 6'8" and weighed about 260-280 pounds. To put this in perspective, the average human male at the time stood about 5'7".

In 1776, when the Revolutionary War started, Peter enlisted into the continental army and fought in some of the bloodiest battles the beginning of the war had to offer. He survived two gunshot wounds, and made it through the tough winter when he was stationed at Valley Forge. It didn't take long for news of his strength and stature to reach Washington. General Washington, that is.

Did I mention he had a sword? Well, he used a sword. Not just any sword, mind you. A sword given to him by General Washington himself. And not just any sword given to him by General Washington himself, it was a broadsword.

Now, the term "broadsword", for lack of a better term, is a very broad term. The definition of broadsword can mean anything, but is usually falls under the "Early Modern Sword" category. Without throwing enough jargon at you, this is what Peter's sword looked like.

No, I'm not kidding. Easily five feet in length, Peter used his broadsword to great effectiveness, notably at the Battle of Stony Point in 1779. Leading the charge, Peter managed to cleave more than a dozen men down with his broadsword, and survived a sword slash to the chest. It is said that he tore down the British Flag himself, signaling victory for the rebels.

At the Battle of Camden, Peter managed to save his commanding officer by taking a horse from an enemy cavalryman and helping him escape. Peter then charged back towards the battlefield to save an American cannon from being captured by the British. While the battle was a British victory, Peter managed to do all he could. Without him, many more American troops would have died.

At the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Peter managed to slay 13 men, but became surrounded by musket-men and cavaliers. Taking several sword wounds, Peter passed out from blood loss, and was left for dead. When he woke up, Peter crawled towards a nearby town and was nursed back to health by the locals.

A small detachment of British cavalrymen, under the command of Sir Banastre Tarleton, were tasked with raiding the colonial countryside. A few of the cavalrymen managed to track Peter down, still heavily wounded. Tarleton and his men were known for killing prisoners of war and unarmed civilians. Peter would have none of that.

Peter managed to disarm the commanding officer of the group. And by that, I mean Peter grabbed the guy's sword and chopped his own hand off with it. To be fair, the officer did shoot him with a pistol, but all is fair in love and war.

After killing another cavalryman or two, and with a bit of luck and wit, Peter made it out alive, taking six British horses and a few weapons in tow with him towards the Colonial army.

After the war, Peter learned how to read and became a blacksmith. He died on January 16th, 1831. He is buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Virginia.

In the words of General George Washington:

Couldn't have said it better myself.

So, next time you have a 4th of July barbecue, and you decide to toast to the heroes of the Revolution, make sure you give the 6'8", 260-pound, Portuguese-descended, sword-swinging freedom-fighter a shout out.