Strong Vincent led the Union brigade that first defended Little Round Top and was mortally wounded there.
On July 2, 1863, Vincent commanded the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division, V Corps. When Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren discovered that Little Round Top was dangerously undefended, Vincent moved his brigade there on his own initiative, arriving only minutes before Confederate attacks began.
Vincent positioned four regiments around the hill: the 16th Michigan, 44th New York, 83rd Pennsylvania, and 20th Maine. The 20th Maine, commanded by Joshua Chamberlain, later became famous for its bayonet charge, but Chamberlain was a regimental commander—not the brigade leader.
Vincent repeatedly rallied the 16th Michigan during fierce fighting on the hill’s western slope. A Confederate bullet struck him in the thigh and groin. He was carried to a nearby farm and died on July 7, five days after the battle. James C. Rice succeeded him, while Patrick O’Rorke was a different Union officer killed during the fighting.