History
Strong Vincent

This past weekend in Pennsylvania, two high schools played football against each other: Thomas Jefferson and Strong Vincent. It is a wonderful concept to name public schools after historical figures. Most know of Thomas Jefferson, although you may be surprised at what adults do not know if you watch the “Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?” show on TV. And, there are plenty of Thomas Jefferson schools in the country. But, I would guess there is only one school named Strong Vincent in the entire country.

There is a reason Strong Vincent High School is located in Erie, PA. He was born in Waterford, some call the strawberry capital of PA, in 1837. He graduated from Harvard in 1859 and thereafter opened a law office in Erie. When the War Between the States broke out he enlisted for three months in a militia regiment and when the time expired, he re-enlisted as a Lt. Colonel in the 83rd Pennsylvania Regiment. That regiment suffered the 2nd greatest amount of casualties for the Union. He married on the day he enlisted.

He fought on the Peninsula and when the colonel of the 83rd was killed on June 27, 1862, he became the colonel of the regiment. He was felled by malaria which kept him out of battle until December at Fredericksburg. Because of his legal background, he was offered position of Judge Advocate for the Army. He turned it down to remain a fighting man. The Union army was reorganized after Chancellorsville and he became brigade commander. On his 26th birthday he was marching to Gettysburg.

At Gettysburg, he took command of Little Round Top by rushing the hill with his standard bearer choosing for his brigade a section of the hill that now bears his name. On the hill he commanded the 83rd as well as the 20th Maine, 44th New York and 16th Michigan. As one group began to falter he scrambled atop a boulder brandishing a riding crop that was a gift from his wife, and accomplished aquestrian, and shouted: “Don’t give an Inch!” A bullet tore through his leg fracturing his thigh bone. He was carried from the field. Reinforcements form the 140th New York helped the line on Little Round Top hold. Knowing he was dying he wanted to return home, but the severity of his wounds prohibited travel to Erie. He held on for five days and died on July 7, 1863.

General Meade recommended Vincent be promoted for his heroism to Brigadier General on 2 July and he was on 3 July, 1863. It is doubtful he ever knew. Here is the report of Brig General James Barnes, Commander of the First Division:

It was at this time that Colonel Vincent, commanding the brigade, while rallying this part of his command, fell, mortally wounded. He was a gallant officer, beloved and respected by his command and by all who knew him. His death is a serious loss to the army and the country. ....A tribute is due to the memory of Colonel Vincent, who fell, mortally wounded, early in the engagement. He lingered a few days after the engagement. His promotion as a brigadier-general was sent to him at once as an appreciation of his services by the Government, but it reached him too late for his own recognition. He expired soon after its receipt.

While a lesser known hero of Little Round Top, he was indeed a hero who took the initiative to take the position in the first place. The official order issued announcing his death speaks to the character and standing of the man:

The colonel commanding hereby announces to the brigade the death of Brig. Gen. Strong Vincent. He died near Gettysburg, Pa., July 7, 1863, from the effects of a wound received on the 2d instant, and within sight of that field which his bravery had so greatly assisted to win. A day hallowed with all the glory of success is thus sombered by the sorrow of our loss. Wreaths of victory give way to chaplets of mourning, hearts exultant to feelings of grief. A soldier, a scholar, a friend, has fallen. For his country, struggling for its life, he willingly gave his own. Grateful for his services, the State which proudly claims him as her own will give him an honored grave and a costly monument, but he ever will remain buried in our hearts, and our love for his memory will outlast the stone which shall bear the inscription of his bravery, his virtues, and his patriotism.
While we deplore his death, and remember with sorrow our loss, let us emulate the example of his fidelity and patriotism, feeling that he lives but in vain who lives not for his God and his country.
Signed: Colonel James C. Rice

Two months after his death, Vincent’s wife Elizabeth gave birth to a baby girl who only lived one year. So, this hero would have no heir to live to tell his story. The 83rd Regimental Monument at Gettysburg does bear a striking resemblance to Vincent, although likenesses of commanders were not to be upon PA monuments. And, the school that bears his name still exists in Erie, PA. In his correspondence to his young wife, Strong Vincent says: “If I fall, remember you have given your husband to the most righteous cause that has ever widowed a woman.” In this age of self-seeking and self-aggrandizement, such sentiments are refreshing. That he was willing to give his life for something he believed was right made Strong Vincent an American hero. Strong Vincent is little known outside Erie and Gettysburg, but he is part of the glorious history of the human sacrifice and cost in the War Between the States.