Today is the birthday of Strong Vincent, hero of Little Round Top (2nd day of Gettyburg)
Died during Gettysburg on July 7th, 1863 at the age of 26 (had been commissioned a Brigadier General but probably never knew). His only child was born two months later but died in less than one year.
Overshadowed by other Union officers in the fight for Little Round Top, the youthful Colonel Strong Vincent actually may have done more to save the Union and help turn the tide of the battle of Gettysburg for the Union than did more popular Union heroes of that fight such as G.K. Warren or Joshua Chamberlain. Unlike Warren or Chamberlain, Vincent did not survive the fighting at Gettysburg; Vincent was mortally wounded defending his home state of Pennsylvania, crying to his men "Don't give an inch!" Such was the importance of Vincent's actions at Gettysburg that he was promoted to general on the battlefield.
http://www.vincent.goellnitz.org/