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.
- A - White's Rebels
- B - Chiswell's Maryland Exiles (Montgomery County, Maryland)
- C - Grubb's Company
- D - Trayhern's Company
- E - Grabill's Company (Page and Shenandoah counties)
- F - Ferneyhough's Co.
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.
Read more about this topic: 35th Battalion Of Virginia Cavalry
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