Early Life
Daniel Harris Reynolds was born on December 14, 1832, in Centerburg, Ohio. He was the son of Amos and Sophia (Houck) Reynolds.
Reynolds attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he met Otho Strahl, another future Confederate general from Ohio. Both men left school before graduating and moved to Somerville, Tennessee to study law under the tutelage of Chancellor John W. Harris. In 1858, they were each admitted to the bar. Strahl moved to Dyersburg in western Tennessee, where he opened a law office. Reynolds moved to Lake Village, Arkansas, and established a successful legal practice.
Civil War
Confederate Officer
When the Civil War began, Reynolds raised a cavalry company called the “Chicot Rangers” and his men elected him as their captain on May 25, 1861. Confederate officials commissioned Reynolds as a captain of Company A of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles on June 14, 1861. Reynolds spent the early part of the war west of the Mississippi River, fighting in Arkansas and Missouri. His regiment took part in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek (August 10, 1861) and the Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862).
Army of the Mississippi
In the spring of 1862, Confederate officials ordered Reynolds’s regiment east of the Mississippi River to reinforce General Braxton Bragg‘s Army of the Mississippi. Reynolds received a promotion to major on April 14, 1862. A little over two weeks later, on May 1, 1862, officials promoted him to lieutenant colonel. During the summer of 1862, the Army of the Mississippi took part in the Confederate Heartland Campaign in Tennessee and Kentucky, culminating with the Rebel loss at the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky (October 8, 1862).
Army of Tennessee
On November 20, 1862, Confederate officials reorganized the Army of the Mississippi and renamed it the Army of Tennessee. Reynolds served with the Army of Tennessee during the Tullahoma Campaign (June 24-July 3, 1863) and the Chickamauga Campaign (August 21-September 20, 1863). After the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19-20, 1863), officials promoted Reynolds to colonel of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles on November 17, 1863 (effective September 20).
Following the federal breakout from Chattanooga, Tennessee in November 1863, Reynolds continued to serve with the Army of Tennessee throughout the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. The Confederate War Department promoted Reynolds to brigadier general on March 12, 1864 (effective March 5). He commanded “Reynolds’s Arkansas Brigade,” comprising the 1st and 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (dismounted); the 4th, 9th, 25th, and 31st Arkansas Infantry Regiments, and the 4th Arkansas Infantry Battalion. In one of the few Confederate triumphs during the Atlanta Campaign, Reynolds led his brigade to victory at the Battle of Lovejoy’s Station (August 20, 1864).
Severely Wounded at the Battle of Bentonville
After the fall of Atlanta, Confederate leaders ordered the Army of Tennessee, now commanded by General Joseph Johnston, to North Carolina. During the Battle of Bentonville (March 19, 1865), Reynolds received a severe wound to his left leg forcing surgeons to amputate it.
Post-war Career
When the Civil War ended, Reynolds resumed his law practice in Lake Village, Arkansas. From 1866 to 1867, he served as a state senator for Ashley, Chicot, and Drew counties.
Marriage
On November 24, 1868, Reynolds married Martha Wallace. The couple subsequently had five children.
Death
Daniel Reynolds died at Lake Village, Arkansas on March 14, 1902. He is buried in Lake Village Cemetery.