To the Members of the Thirty-Fifth Virginia Cavalry : The following pages have been prepared under many and great difficulties, and while they exhibit the history of the command we were so proud of in the dark days of the war for States Rights and the old Constitution, they are very far from from presenting a full history of our Battalion. Almost all the papers relating to the operations of the “Comanches,” whether belonging to the field and staff or to company officers, were lost at the surrend

In commencing the story of the brave deeds performed during the dark days of the great civil war in America by the gallant band known as "White’s Battalion," it will be proper to give a short sketch of the man who, as chief of the “Comanches,” gave to the Thirty-fifth Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, its existence, and led it through so many campaigns, battles and raids, to occupy a place in the history of the war second to no command of its numbers, and distinguished under the special notice of suc

In the last days of December, 1861, Captain Elijah V. White, for such was his rank now, reported to General Hill, with fifteen men for duty, and was ordered by that officer to establish a line of couriers between Leesburg and Winchester, which he did on the 29th, stationing Ben. F. Conrad and James W. Harper at Leesburg, Richard Harding and William H. Luckett at Hamilton, Peter J. Kabrich and Frank. M. Myers at Round Hill, C. C. Wenner and R. W. Washington at Castleman’s Ferry, Joseph E. Conner

On the morning of March 4th, 1862, Captain White marched from Waterford to Leesburg, and when they reached the top of Catocton Mountain they saw what desolation the retiring army was inflicting on the country, and knowing what would follow the Yankees in their advance, it did really appear that the people of their beloved and beautiful Loudoun must leave their homes or be burned with them, for all over the country could be seen the flames going up from the stack-yards and mills, and the morning

The command of the company now devolved upon Lieut. Myers, and in a very few days Gen. Ewell marched his whole division to Columbian Bridge, about twenty-five miles lower down the river, where he halted for a time, and Myers and Barrett endeavored to put the business of the company into shape, as there had not been a payroll made off, and only one muster roll since the company had been in the service, but on the 21st of May, General Ewell sent for Lieut. Myers, and giving him a bundle of dispatc

About the 20th of June the army crossed the Blue Ridge, and moved quietly towards the beleaguered capital; but the men did not know any more about their destination than the enemy, who never knew, until his artillery boomed upon McClellan’s flank at Richmond, that Jackson had left the Valley. On arriving at Charlottesville, Capt. White, now entirely recovered from the effects of his wound, rejoined his company, and it now appeared that the little band of scouts and couriers was to be the foundat

For several days after the close of the seven days’ campaign the army lay quiet, and White’s people had a delightful camp at Meadow Bridge, about 7 miles from Richmond, on the Rail Road, from which they could send to the city daily for such luxuries as the markets afforded; and during this time there was not much to do in the way of carrying dispatches, so that there was little to do except rest. Here the company held an election for Orderly Sergeant, which resulted in the choice of C. M. C. Wha

Never were the veteran hearts of the men whom Lee and Stonewall led to victory, so thrilled with triumphant pride as on that morning in September, when the wild refrain of “Maryland, my Maryland,” echoed from a thousand throats, rolled on the morning breezes over the border, and the ragged men in gray marched through the waters of the old Potomac which some of them had made to run red with the life-blood of the invading hosts of Yankeeland, who made their boasting advance, at almost the same poi

The battalion now encamped on the turnpike, about three miles from the river, and near Berryville, and under orders from Gen. W. E. Jones. The Major posted his companies at the fords on the Shenandoah, from Front Royal to Key’s Ferry, to picket. The camp was lumbered up with a great quantity of captured property, having wagons and tents sufficient for three times the number of men; in fact no regiment in either army was better supplied with camp equipage than White’s battalion. On the night of t

The battalion returned to camp, near New Market, about the 20th of February, and for two months there was nothing to mar the monotony of camp life, save the interminable drilling and sabre grinding ordered by Gen. Jones, which was really the most monotonous part of it as well as the most vexatious, for White’s men didn’t like to drill, and they had a small opinion of the sabre as a weapon to fight Yankees with, no matter how sharp it might be, and the regular Saturday grindings were looked upon

On the 21st of April, 1863, Gen. Jones marched his brigade from their camp, now near Harrisonburg, for the memorable expedition through West Virginia, intending to damage the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, and to threaten the enemy in that country, so as to not only prevent troops from going to the Rappahannock where “fighting Joe” Hooker was confronting the Army of Northern Virginia, but to draw forces from his army to protect the Rail Road and keep Western communication with the capital unbroke

On the morning of June 1st, 1863, the brigade marched from the Valley for Gen. Stuart’s camp in Culpeper county, the battalion having the following officers: Lieut.-Col. White, Major Ferneyhough, Adjt. Watts, Dr. Wootten, Quartermaster White, and Sergeant-Major Stephenson, in field and staff; Co. A, Lieuts. Barrett and Conrad; Co. B, had her full corps of officers; Co. C, Capt. Grubb and Lieut. Grubb; Co. D, had all her officers present; Co. E, Capt. Grabill and Lieut. Grubbs; Co. F, Lieut. Watt

The battalion crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown, and passing on by Sharpsburg and Hagerstown, reached the head of Ewell’s column at Greencastle, from which point it took the advance, and under orders from Gen. Ewell marched directly to Gettysburg, where a heavy body of Pennsylvania militia was assembled to keep the rebels out of town. Company E, commanded by Lieut. H. M. Strickler, a gentleman, a gallant soldier and good officer, but above all an earnest Christian, and who is now (1870) a dev

The battalion remained on the bank of the Shenandoah for a day, but seeing no decrease in the flood, impatience got the better of prudence, and the Colonel, giving way to the wishes of his men, (which in this case coincided so fully with his own,) marched them to the river, and such as were not afraid to “take water,” swam the horses across, while the others went over in a skiff. When about fifty men had got over, and the shades of an early twilight commenced to gather from the low-hanging cloud

The soldiers of Colonel White found their new Brigadier to be a handsome, soldierly-looking man, very different in manner, language and appearance from Gen. Jones, though not a whit behind that officer in the maintenance of discipline in his brigade; but it did not take them long to find that he was a genial, warm-hearted gentleman, and they respected and loved him accordingly. For several days there was very little done beyond some scouting along the Rappahannock, and an inspection or two by Ge

The morning of May 5th opened calm and still, and there was no sign by which men could judge of the bloody day before them, for literally all was “quiet along the lines,” but the quiet of the scene was oppressive in its extreme stillness, and the sun rolled like an immense ball of barely red hot iron, seeming to be almost touching the tops of the pine trees under which lay the “Laurel Brigade,” unrefreshed by even the quiet repose of the past night, and many remarks were made about the singular

General Rosser ordered the “Comanches” to remain at the Po river bridge during the 7th, and guard it from the attacks of the enemy, who, still posted in the woods where the hard fighting was done on the evening of the 5th, showed a disposition to take the bridge. Here the Colonel had some breastworks thrown up, and leaving Capt. Myers with Company A to hold the bridge, he attempted a flank movement to the right with the remainder of his battalion, hoping to capture some horses, but was unsuccess

On the 4th of June an order was received carrying everything to the right; and Rosser’s brigade moved out to “Old Church,” near the Pamunky, where they found a force of Yankees behind breastworks, which the General ordered White to charge. The order was promptly obeyed without dismounting, and the Yankees fled precipitately from the rather novel scene of horsemen leaping their works, and using both steel and ball in their curious evolution, and the General’s wild “Hurrah for the Comanches” was r

Early on the morning of the 20th we marched for the White House, but before reaching that point met the enemy in heavy force of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and gun-boats, and had a severe fight, which lasted all the afternoon, during which the gun-boats did some of the most magnificent shooting with their heavy guns ever witnessed, exploding their shells at the precise point desired, at nearly two miles. Nothing was accomplished by the fighting except to ascertain that Sheridan was now safe, h

Everything was very quiet in camp after the “cattle raid” until the 27th of September, when the eager longing of the “Ash by Brigade” to go home was gratified, and General Rosser, in a beautifully touching General Order, in which he reviewed the past campaign and paid eloquent tributes to the fallen members of the command, announced that he was ordered to proceed immediately to the Valley, and the brigade marched out for the “promised land” again. Colonel White had obtained a furlough, or rather

During the month following the foray into Deven’s camp, the “Comanches” devoted themselves to the duty of recruiting their horses and preparing for the return to the army whenever their chief should call them from their winter quarters to perform their part in what all felt and believed was to be the final campaign of the war. The long rest and freedom from discipline had not been beneficial to the “morale” of the command, and in fact a great deal of the energy and fire that had formerly charact