Seated half-length albumen CDV. Erie, Pennsylvania: Dolph Bros., ca. 1862. Photographer’s ornate imprint to mount verso. Verso also bears a pencil collector's inscription: "Col. Strong Vincent / 83rd Penn. / KIA Gettysburg / MW 7-2-1863 / DOW 7-21-1863."

Col. Strong Vincent (1837-63), commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps. A Harvard-educated lawyer from Erie, Pennsylvania, Vincent is immortalized for his decisive, unauthorized movement to occupy Little Round Top on 2 July 1863. While rallying the 16th Michigan with the command, "Don't yield an inch!", he was mortally wounded by a Confederate ball. He was promoted to brigadier general for his gallantry just five days before succumbing to his wounds. A monument honoring his sacrifice stands on the slope where he fell — one of the most visited places in the National Park. 

A significant and locally produced portrait by Dolph Bros. of Erie, Pennsylvania, the home of Vincent’s own 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Unlike the more commonly found Brady studio portraits, this Erie-backmarked image highlights Vincent’s deep connection to his hometown and the regiment he helped raise. He is pictured in a double-breasted officer's frock coat with his colonel's shoulder straps visible, capturing the stern, youthful resolve of one of the Army of the Potomac's most vital tactical leaders. No Gettysburg collection is complete without an original period Strong Vincent image such as the one offered here. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards]

Consistent with age; light foxing and surface wear. A highly desirable "home-town" imprint of a premier Gettysburg hero whose actions changed the course of American history.