Joseph W. Vance

Joseph Wampler Vance (May 21, 1841 – December 14, 1927) was an American soldier from Illinois. Educated at the United States Military Academy, Vance was named a tactical instructor of Union troops upon the outbreak of the Civil War. He served alongside William Rosecrans as Acting Assistant Adjutant General, then as Aide-de-Camp to William Carlin. Vance participated in the battles of Fredericktown, Farmington, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, and Kennesaw Mountain. Following the war, Vance helped to found the Illinois National Guard, eventually rising to become Adjutant General of Illinois (1884–1891).

Biography Joseph Wampler Vance was born in Paris, Illinois, on May 21, 1841. He descended from an early American family; his great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War. Vance attended public schools, then attended Edgar Academy and the United States Military Academy. When the Civil War broke out, Vance was named First Lieutenant of Company F, 7th Congressional District Regiment of Illinois. Vance was also assigned as the Tactical Instructor of the regiment. Weeks later, the regiment was reorganized as the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the unit led by then-colonel Ulysses S. Grant. Grant recommended Vance to Gen. John Pope, who sent him to organize and train two regiments in St. Charles, Missouri. Returning to the 21st Illinois Volunteers, Vance fought in the Battle of Fredericktown in October.

In 1862, Vance was appointed Acting Assistant Adjutant General to Gen. William Rosecrans during the Tullahoma Campaign. He fought at the Battle of Farmington during the Siege of Corinth. Vance was then tasked with command of Bardstown, Kentucky from October 1862 to January 1863, defending it from a Confederate cavalry raid. In March, Vance was promoted to Assistant Inspector General of 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XX Corps until October. He fought with the regiment at Liberty Gap and Chickamauga, being mentioned in dispatches by Gen. William Carlin for his actions during the latter engagement. Carlin named Vance an Aide-de-Camp, where he served until July 1864. He fought with Carlin at Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, and Kennesaw Mountain.