Educated at the United States Military Academy, Vance was named a tactical instructor of Union troops upon the outbreak of the Civil War.

He descended from an early American family; his great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

When the Civil War broke out, Vance was named First Lieutenant of Company F, 7th Congressional District Regiment of Illinois.

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.

[1] Aside from his military interests, Vance worked in the woolen goods trade for almost ten years after the Civil War.