Amos Hall White was born on June 27, 1835, in Montgomery County, New York, to Amos White. His father died when he was a child, and he and his mother moved to New York City. By the early 1860s, he was working as an accountant for an importing house. When the Civil War broke out, White helped recruit Company D of the 5^th New York Cavalry, and he mustered in as 1^st lieutenant of the company on September 21, 1861. He received a promotion to captain on December 9, 1861. He was taken prisoner after the Battle of Front Royal on May 23, 1862, and spent the next few months imprisoned in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was exchanged on September 21, 1862, and rejoined his regiment. He was promoted to major on January 30, 1863. He was shot in the foot at Hanover, Pennsylvania, on June 30, 1863, but recovered in time to take part in the army’s fall campaigns. He was captured again at Ashland Station on June 1, 1864, and Confederates sent him to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. He was exchanged on September 12, 1864, and received promotions to lieutenant colonel and then colonel by November 1864. He mustered out at Hart’s Island, New York, on July 19, 1865.

 

White returned to New York City after the war. He applied for a pension in October 1865 and received one soon afterward. He married Margaret Goertner around 1866, and their son Goertner was born around 1871. By 1870, they were living in Syracuse, New York. White worked as a travelling agent, and he owned $5,000 of personal property. By 1875, they were living with Margaret’s parents in Montgomery County, New York. They eventually moved to Detroit, Michigan, and White died there from apoplexy on December 27, 1897.

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