New work for Virginia Living.
Peter Francisco, The Virginia Giant
By: Sterling Hundley
In a time of overwhelming odds, our Revolutionary Nation needed an extraordinary hero. Peter Francisco, was just such a hero. At 6’6” and 260 pounds, Francisco was a giant in stature and a juggernaut in will. In 1776, at the age of sixteen, Francisco joined the 10th Virginia Regiment. The Virginia Giant, as he was referred to on the lips of storytellers, is credited with inhuman feats of strength, heroism, and bravery. Legend tells that the Virginia Hercules leveled eleven British soldiers in one battle, escaped from nine soldiers after being captured, was wounded six times, rescued his commanding officer, and single handedly carried a cannon on his back, away from the advancing enemy. Many of these feats are recorded as credible history, and if possible, the legend of Peter Francisco has grown larger than the man.
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6 comments:
Pretty interesting backstory. I might have to look that up. The face on the giant is pretty nice! What medium did you use for this?
Beautiful piece. Great composition with those red/black and white areas.
Great piece Sterling! I really dig the thumbnails as well. Especially the second one in. Such a cool way to use those white belt-things (what are they called/used for?). Seeing the thumbnails then the finish is something I wish more people would do when they post their finished work. It gives a small look into the "journey" taken when creating the piece.
Thanks for sharing as always!
Really amazing stuff!
Richie- I found Francisco's story to be very interesting. There is a lot more to it... He once picked up an man's horse and through it over a fence!
S.M. Vidaurri and Hoon- Thank you.
Andrew- I was excited about that sketch, as well, but I knew that it would be way to dark for Virginia Living. I'll find a place to use it in the future. This is what I found on slightly older British uniforms: "...worn at the small of the back and supported over the shoulder by straps split into three at the level of the third button of the tunic. These straps fastened to a waist-belt holding two pouches, one on each side of the belt clasp, each containing 20 rounds of ammunition with a further 30 rounds carried in a 'ball bag' slung below the right-hand pouch."
I'll try to keep the sketches coming!
Thank you for posting these renderings of my great-grandfather on your blog! I am a 6th generation descendant and I stand 6'6" tall just like Peter Francisco (a.k.a. Hercules of the Revolution). I have dedicated my life to telling his story which I've done by writing an historical novel based on his life. www.HerculesoftheRevolution.com Also, I have a short documentary about Peter coming this July on the History Channel.
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