Show forgotten HEROES by bj ELMO SCOTT WATSON the giant of virginia 0 ONE NIO day in june of 1705 1765 a strange ship dropped anchor near city point in virginia from it a boat was waa lowered to the water and idlers on the wharf saw a sm small s 11 child being handed over the side bide to the sailors who manned the oars when t the he boat reached the dock the child was placed ashore then the boat turned and awatt ly made its way back to the ship which immediately weighed its anchor and sailed away thus did peter francisco arrive on the shores abores of the tb land where re lie he was to win fame where he e had bad come from who his parents were and why ho he was so heartlessly abandoned Is still shrouded Is mystery for a few days the little boy slept in the warehouse by thi tha wharves depending on kindhearted kind hearted strangers to supply him with food then judge anthony winston of buckingham came to city point heard beard of the orphan and took him home with him there he was living when the able revolution broke out francisco served valiantly at the battle of germantown and when mad alad anthony wayne stormed stony point he was the second man to 16 scale the wall by tills this time francisco was famous through the continental army for his feats of great strength and his utter fearlessness in battle they called him the giant of virginia and he carried a huge broadsword five feet long which had been made for him by the order of general washington during the southern campaigns francisco was surprised at a tavern one day by a party of cavalrymen from the command of col bonastre Ban astre tarleton after surrendering peter b bm became m so angry at his captors when they tried to remove his shoe buckles which he specially prized that he laid about him with mighty strokes and dashed from the tavern nearby some of T tarletone Tarle rie tons troopers were stationed but when they started to cap ture lure the fugitive he be put up a most daring bluff shouted to a regiment of continental soldiers which did not exist except in his imagination to come to his assistance and caused the british to flee but it was at the battle of guilford Gul lford court house that he won his greatest fame and visitors there today can see t the h in monument 0 it which marks the place where p peter e t er francisco a giant of incredible strength killed 11 british sol diers with his own broadsword and although badly wounded by a bayonet made his escape it was at this battle that peter lost his purse containing all the vouchers for service and he never received full recognition for his bis ser services v ices from the government of virginia I 1 after the war he settled in virgl virginia ala was married three times and died there in 1831 |