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.