Construction was halted in 1859 when the US Congress did not appropriate funding to cover cost overruns. A less ambitious design was completed in 1879. During the Civil War, he joined the Confederate Army, and served at James Island and North Carolina. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, commanding the 3rd South Carolina Artillery. After the war, E.B. White supervised repairs of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Charleston. He designed a building for Charleston Gas & Light Co. Among the residences that he designed is the William Gatewood House at 21 Legare Street which was described as "recently built" is a real estate listing in February 1863. In 1879, White moved to New York and died on May 10, 1882. He was interred in St. Michael's Episcopal Churchyard in Charleston.