Carr B. White

Carr Baily White (1823–1871) was a physician, officer during the Mexican War and general during the American Civil War. His Civil War service is greatly associated with operations in western Virginia and Maryland.

White was born in Kentucky but moved to Ohio at a young age where he attended Jefferson Medical College. During the Mexican was he joined U.S. volunteer army as a private in the 1st Ohio Infantry. On February 1, 1847 he was promoted to captain in his regiment and mustered out of the volunteer service on June 14, 1847. When White received his promotion to captain, it outraged another officer, Lt. James P. Fyffe, for being passed over that Fyffe sent White a challenge to a duel. It was well known that General Zachary Taylor frowned upon dueling so the two waited until the regiment was mustered out. Captain White chose, Ferdinand Van Derveer as his second. White and Fyffe met on an island while their transport refueled and exchanged shots. Both missed and the matter was setter peacefully. White returned to Ohio to serve as a physician between wars.

When the Civil War began, White enlisted in the 12th Ohio Infantry becoming its lieutenant colonel. The regiment first saw action at the battle of Carnifex Ferry in West Virginia. During the engagement the regiment's colonel, John W. Lowe, was killed and on June 28, 1861 White was appointed colonel. Colonel White and the 12th Ohio where attached to Jacob D. Cox's Kanawha Division at the Second Battle of Bull Run and during the Maryland Campaign. White's command saw heavy fighting at Fox's Gap and fought in the vicinity of Burnside's Bridge at Antietam.

After Antietam, Colonel White and the Kanawha Division returned to Western Virginia and the following Spring, White was given command of a brigade in the VIII Corps. From June to December, 1863 he commanded a brigade under Eliakim P. Scammon in the Department of West Virginia. It was during this time in September that White helped organize a unit originally known as "Spencer's Scouts", named after the unit's first commander, John W. Spencer. White and Spencer's Scouts operated against Confederate partisan and guerrilla leaders in West Virginia, particularly those under John S. Mosby.

In April 1864 White took command of the 2nd Brigade in George Crook's division of the Department of West Virginia. There he fought at the battle of Cloyd's Mountain. White's brigade was composed of green regiments and sustained heavy casualties in this, their first engagement ever. White led the brigade during the following Lynchburg Campaign.

White was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 11, 1864 and given a brevet promotion to Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers for services at Cloyd's Mountain, dated March 13, 1865.

After the war White returned to Ohio, settling in Georgetown, where he died in 1871.