Louis Francine served as Colonel and commander of the 7th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry at the Battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. On July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg, Colonel Francine's regiment was detached from its brigade to support Captain Clark's New Jersey artillery battery as it defended the Army of the Potomac's III Corps position near the famed Peach Orchard.
As the Confederates pressed their attack, Colonel Francine was severely wounded, and his regiment withdrew along with the remnants of the Union troops. He died of the wounds two weeks later on July 17, 1863 in Philadelphia. He was 26 years old.
He received a posthumous brevet promotion to Brigadier General, US Volunteers, back dated to July 2, 1863, the date of his wounding, for "gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Gettysburg…."
Today, in the Gettysburg National Military Park, the distinctive bullet-shaped 7th NJ infantry monument stands on the spot in Excelsior Field where he was wounded.
Francine is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.