Daniel Harris Reynolds was born at Centerburg, Ohio and educated at Ohio Wesleyan University. He moved to Somerville, Tennessee, attended law school there, and gained admission to the bar in 1858. That May, he settled in Lake Village, Arkansas, where he established his practice.

By the time the Civil War came, he was sure of his sectional allegiance. About the time his adopted state seceded, he raised a company for Confederate service that became a part of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles. He was elected its captain in May, 1861, his rank being confirmed by the Confederate government three weeks later.

Under his regimental commander, Thomas J. Churchill, Reynolds served prominently in the battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. Afterward, his company took part in numerous skirmishes and engagements in Missouri and Arkansas until early spring of 1862, when it was transferred with tne army of Major General Earl Van Dorn to the east side of the Mississippi River. In that theater, Reynolds rose swiftly in rank, reaching major in April and lieutenant colonel the following month.

Under Lieutenant Colonel Edmond Kirby Smith, the 1st Arkansas, now serving afoot, fought in East Tennessee and Kentucky throughout 1862. After Chickamauga, in which his regiment fought tenaciously along the Confederate left flank, Reynolds was appointed colonel of his outfit. In that battle, Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson, another native Ohioan in Confederate service, praised Reynolds' "faithful toil and heroic conduct," especially "his efforts to preserve our lines and encourage and press the men."

Thanks to such praise, Reynolds was named a brigadier general to rank from March 5, 1864. At that rank, he led a brigade serving with the Army of Tennessee through the Atlanta and Carolinas campaigns. The brigade was especially prominent in guarding the retreat of General John B. Hood from Nashville. Under General Joseph E. Johnston at Bentonville, March 19, 1865, Reynolds was so badly wounded that he lost a leg to amputation. Captured, he was paroled two months later at Charlottesville, Virginia, returning to Arkansas and his legal practice.

In postwar life, he served a term in the state senate. He died in Lake Village on March 14, 1902.

Also:

The Not as Famous: Gen. James C. Veatch

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com