White suffered the first of several wounds during the Valley Campaign, but returned to duty in time to lead his men in the battles around Richmond. They followed Ewell’s Division on to Cedar Mountain where they preyed on scattered parties from Pope’s Army. As the armies moved on toward Second Manassas, White returned to Loudoun where he surrounded Captain Means’ Loudoun Rangers in the Waterford Baptist Church. After a two hour battle in which both sides suffered heavily the Rangers surrendered and were paroled. He then joined the main Confederate Army as it invaded Maryland. At Frederick, White fell under the displeasure of General Stuart who ordered him back to the south side of the river. (This was probably a renewal of the old argument that White had organized only for border service.) Finally General Lee resolved their differences by ordering White on a scouting expedition to Harpers Ferry and to report only to him (Lee). The “Comanches” returned to Loudoun and were engaged with Union Cavalry under Kilpatrick at Leesburg. In charging 400 Blue cavalrymen the Confederates were repulsed and their commander suffered a shoulder wound.
A Maryland company under Captain George W. Chiswell joined White, and shortly thereafter three more companies were organized. His daring was attracting young men in search of action. On October 28, 1862, Colonel Bradley T. Johnson formally mustered these five companies into the Confederate service; a sixth company was later added.
The battalion was quite active during McClellan’s return from Maryland. Striking quickly at loosely guarded wagon trains, White captured about 1000 prisoners and 200 wagons while the Federals were crossing Loudoun. Christmas eve, 1862, saw the battalion ford the Potomac into Maryland and bring off sixty horses and large quantities of supplies from upper Montgomery County.
In January, 1863, White was formally assigned to “Grumble” Jones’ Brigade. Open mutiny almost broke out over this order as the men claimed that theirs was an independent command not subject to assignment to any regiment or brigade. The Maryland company claimed they owned no allegiance to the Confederacy and had the right to select their service. White soon quelled this insubordination and the battalion settled down to fighting Yankees again. As in as many similar organizations discipline was a problem. White was not a disciplinarian, believing that his mission was to fight and leave the “house-keeping” to others; however, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in February.
The battalion continued to serve with Jones’ Brigade in the Valley but made frequent sorties into Loudoun to battle their old border enemies, the Loudoun Rangers and Cole’s Maryland Cavalry.
Ordered to join Ewell in Pennsylvania, White led Early’s advance to the Susquehanna. It was the “Comanches” who dashed into Gettysburg on June 26, and scattered the 26th Pennsylvania Militia, thus firing the first shots on that great battlefield.
Again back in Virginia they served with Jones until his death, and then with General Rosser as the brigade picked up the famous sobriquet of the “Laurel Brigade.” When Rosser moved on to division command White was the popular choice to succeed him, but the old problem of discipline stood in the way. Governor John Letcher and Judge Brockenborough petitioned President Davis in White’s behalf, but General Lee could not be swayed because of the laxity of the battalion while not engaged in battle; drilling and sabre grinding were termed as a “perfect nuisance” by White. On one occasion General Lee wrote Rosser to say that no reports had been received by the ordnance department from White’s Battalion. Rosser replied that he had never been able to get a report from White, and if General Lee could get it he would be happy to see it.
Hard service had depleted the battalion to a mere skeleton of its former organization by the fall of 1864, but a favorite pastime throughout that winter was raiding General Devin’s lines around Lovettsville. Devin had camped his cavalry brigade there to protect the B & O Railroad and the Canal against raids by White and Mosby, but hardly a night passed in which the pickets were not fired on.
Engaged at Five Forks, the battalion now numbering only eighty men, formed the rear guard for Pickett and Fitz Lee as the long retreat to Appomattox began.
At High Bridge the “Laurel Brigade” was surrounded by both infantry and cavalry. General James Dearing, then in command of the brigade, ordered a charge to break the encircling ring. Dearing went down mortally wounded but White led the brigade through. At last the command which had been so long denied was his, but only for a few days. As the infantry surrendered at Appomattox White led the brigade on to Lynchburg following Rosser. There they disbanded to seek paroles individually over the next few weeks.