Daniel H. Reynolds became a captain of cavalry in the Arkansas militia on May 25, 1861. This unit became Company "A" of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles in the Confederate States Army and Reynolds became its captain on June 14, 1861. He served with this unit at the Battle of Wilson's Creek under then Colonel Thomas J. Churchill. After engaging in some skirmishes in Missouri and Arkansas, and the Battle of Pea RidgeSifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. . pp. 538-539. the regiment transferred to service under Major General Earl Van Dorn, operating east of the Mississippi River.
