35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry The 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry , also known as White ' s Battalion , White ' s Rebels and the Comanches , was a Confederate cavalry unit during the American Civil War raised by Elijah V . White in Loudoun County , Virginia in the winter of 1861 - 62 . The battalion was initially raised as border guards along the Potomac River below Harpers Ferry but were ultimately mustered into regular service as part of the Laurel Brigade . Despite this , they continued to play a conspicuous role in the ongoing partisan warfare in Louduon throughout the war . The battalion was particularly notable during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign , when it played a prominent role in the Battle of Brandy Station and subsequently conducted a series of raids on Union - held railroads and defensive positions in Maryland and Pennsylvania . The 35th was the first Confederate unit to enter Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . Organization and service history . Formed in December 1861 by Elijah V . White in Loudoun County , Virginia , the 35th consisted of six companies of cavalry , five of which were from Virginia and one from neighboring Maryland . The battalion never reached enough strength to become of full regiment . It was initially assigned to border service in Loudoun County , aiding the commands of Maj . Gen . D . H . Hill in Leesburg and Lt . Gen . Stonewall Jackson in Winchester . When Hill ' s command was evacuated from Leesburg to Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign , the 35th briefly joined the 2nd Virginia Cavalry based in Fauquier County , frequently raiding the Union garrisons in Loudoun , before being assigned to Jackson , where it took part in his famous Valley Campaign . In late 1862 the 35th was briefly put under the control of Maj . Gen . Jeb Stuart . When not serving with the main army , the 35th was highly involved in the bitter partisan warfare that divided the loyalty of the residents of the Loudoun County . When mustered into the regular army , the 35th were frequently granted extended leave to return to Loudoun to seek forage and new mounts , and while at home often engaged the Federals in the area , including their western county nemesis , the Loudoun Rangers such as at the Fight at Waterford . In addition , one of White ' s men , John Mobberly , broke off from the unit and formed an independent guerrilla command that terrorized northwest Loudoun County during the later years of the war . Gettysburg Campaign . As J . E . B . Stuart began concentrating widely scattered Confederate cavalry and mounted infantry units in late May 1863 in preparation for the upcoming summer campaign , the 35th Battalion was assigned to the brigade of William E . " Grumble " Jones in the Army of Northern Virginia . The 35th took part in the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9 . It formed a key part of the defensive position near St . James Church early in the battle , helping to fend off a series of charges by Union cavalry . Later , the battalion made a key counterattack on Federal troops on Fleetwood Hill , helping stabilize the Confederate line . Within a few days after Brandy Station , the 35th was attached to the Second Corps of Lt . Gen . Richard Ewell to screen the advance into Maryland and Pennsylvania , and to conduct a series of raids against Federal supply lines . White led a daring attack on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot at Point - of - Rocks , Maryland , in which he routed his old nemesis , the Loudoun Rangers , seized and burned supply wagons , and captured a trainload of supplies intended for the Union garrison at nearby Harpers Ferry . After entering Pennsylvania on June 23 , Ewell assigned the 35th to the division of Maj . Gen . Jubal A . Early , which reached Gettysburg on June 26 . White ' s men routed Union militia and home guard cavalry near Marsh Creek and became the first Confederate troops to enter the borough . The 35th was assigned by Early to accompany a separate expeditionary force of infantry , artillery , and cavalry under the command of Brig . Gen . John B . Gordon that departed Gettysburg for York County , Pennsylvania , with a goal of capturing the town of York and seizing important Susquehanna River crossings . White ' s battalion destroyed scores of railroad bridges and conducted a successful raid that seized the important railroad and telegraphic center at Hanover Junction , Pennsylvania . Elements of the battalion were among the first Confederate troops to reach the Susquehanna at Wrightsville , Pennsylvania , on June 28 , skirmishing with the First Troop , Philadelphia City Cavalry before turning westward , where the 35th performed scouting and flank protection duty during the Battle of Gettysburg . Later campaigns and actions . Later in 1863 , the 35th was re - attached to the famed " Laurel Brigade , " serving again directly under General Jones in the Mine Run and Bristoe campaigns . In 1864 , the 35th was again active in the Loudoun Valley , as well as supporting the Army of Northern Virginia during the Overland Campaign and subsequent actions . In September 1864 , the 35th accompanied Lt . Gen . Wade Hampton on his famous Cattle raid , where they played a key role in driving off the Federal cattle guards and securing the cattle . In April 1865 , the battalion was the rearguard as the Army of Northern Virginia retreated up the Appomattox River . Just prior to Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s surrender at Appomattox Court House , members of the 35th served as couriers delivering General Ulysses S . Grant ' s surrender terms . Lt . Colonel White and the 35th did not surrender with the rest of the army , but instead rode around enemy lines and returned to Loudoun County , where they disbanded . In Popular Media . In his 1987 novel , " Spangle , " author Gary Jennings gives a semi - fictionalized account of the battalion ' s break - up , via the fictional Col . Zachary Edge , CSA . Notes . The Comanches , by Frank M Myers , late Capt 35th Virginia Cavalry