"Peter Francisco: The Incredible Hulk of the American" Topic

…Revolution

"The American Revolution handed down to United States history a veritable collection of colorful characters from John Paul Jones to Benedict Arnold to Daniel Morgan, who took on mythic and legendary status in American memory after the war. Much of American memory is rooted in the narrative of great men doing heroic deeds, sometimes despite the lack of documentation. Tales about Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, Kit Carson, and Buffalo Bill are shrouded in the American narrative. Yet we embrace them despite the shrouds because it helps to make us feel good about our national narrative.

One of the most unsung heroes of the war and the stuff of which legends are made of was the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Peter Francisco, known both as the "Virginia Giant" and the "Giant of the Revolution," These words, attributed to George Washington, can be found on his monument is a square in downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts erected in his memory, "Without him we would have lost two crucial battles, perhaps the War, and with it our freedom. He was truly a One-Man Army." Alas, little documentary evidence supports much of what Francisco related about his wartime experiences, including the quote attributed to Washington. Even without this documentation, he remains a compelling figure in American history, and the fact that he was honored with a commemorative postage stamp, had several monuments erected in his honor, and dates set aside in four states in his memory gives merit to some of his exploits…"

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Armand