Bill Cameron
Strong Vincent was born in Waterford, PA, on June 17, 1837. He was the son of B.B. Vincent and Sarah Ann Strong Vincent. According to O.O. Norton, Vincent was of English Puritan and French Huguenot ancestry. He attended Erie Academy, Trinity College, and Harvard. He graduated from Harvard in 1859. Vincent studied law and after being admitted to the bar, started practicing law in Erie, PA where his father owned an iron foundry. He married Elizabeth H. Carter in 1861, the same year he entered the Army. Vincent enlisted on Col. John W. McLane's Erie Regiment and was elected second Lieutenant. His regiment was mustered in as the Eighty-third P.V. and Vincent was made it's Lieutenant Colonel. He was promoted to the colonel of the regiment upon the death of McLane at Gaines' Mill. Vincent took command of the brigade When Coll. Stockton resigned after the Battle of Chancellorsville. He was recommended for promotion to Brig. Gen. By Gen. Meade the night after his wounding at Gettysburg. You can read a good short bio in _Generals in Blue_ by Ezra J. Warner, p. 527 and a more detailed biographical sketch on page 281 of Norton's _The Attack and Defense of Little Round Top. There is an article about Vincent's involvement at LRT by his brother, Boyd on page 485 of _The Gettysburg Papers_ from Morningside. Also see O.O. Norton's "Strong Vincent and His Brigade at Gettysburg" in _The Gettysburg Papers_. There are also articles on Vincent and his brigade in _Gettysburg Magazine_. Hope this helps.
Esteemed member "Bill Cameron
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National Cyclopedia of American Biography. Vol 7. NY: White, 1897. p. 252. Ref.
Norton, Oliver W. The Attack and Defense of Little Round Top. NY: Neale, 1913. pp. 281-88. E475.53N89.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: LA U, 1964. pp. 527-28 and 668. Ref.
The above sources indicate confusion concerning not only the date Vincent received the mortal wound but also the actual date of his death. Warner says the confusion stems from the incorrect reporting of the General's death in Washington. One may presume, however, that the date of those events were officially accepted as July 2nd and July 7th, respectively. See:
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army... Vol 1. Wash, DC: GPO, 1903. p. 987. Ref.
U.S. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series 1, Vol 27, Part 1. Wash, DC: GPO, 1889. p. 620. E464U6ser1v27pt1.
See also our sources on the 83d Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, especially Oliver Norton's Strong Vincent and His Brigade at Gettysburg...(E475.53N9) and his Attack and Defense of Little Round Top...(E475.53N89).
Rice, Harry H. "The Role of Colonel Strong Vincent in Determining the Outcome of the Battle of Little Round Top." Jrnl of Erie Studies 1 (Jan 1973): pp. 37-56. Per.
Stonesifer, Roy P. "The Little Round Top Controversy - Gouverneur Warren, Strong Vincent, and George Sykes." PA History 35 (1968): pp. 225-30. Per.