Reynolds, Joseph S. (Joseph Smith), 1839-1911

Joseph S. Reynolds was a Chicago high school graduate who enlisted in the Union Army at age 23 in October 1861. He was an officer of the 64th Illinois Infantry Regiment and the Yates Sharpshooters, taking part in 17 battles, including Sherman's March to the Sea. He was mustered out on 16 July 1865.

From the description of Joseph S. Reynolds papers, 1860-1865. WorldCat record id: 48378081

Joseph Smith Reynolds was born in New Lenox, Illinois, December 3, 1839. He moved to Chicago in 1856, graduated from the high school there in July 1861, and enlisted in the 64th Illinois Volunteers the next month. During the Civil War, he took part in 17 battles, was wounded in action three times, and was promoted several times, from 2nd lieutenant to brev. brigadier-general of volunteers by 1865. After the Civil War he studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Chicago. He also was elected as representative and senator to the Illinois legislature, was a commissioner from Illinois to the Universal Exposition at Vienna in 1873, and held other public offices.

From the description of Joseph Smith Reynolds Civil War Diary, 1862. (University of California, Santa Barbara). WorldCat record id: 74496103

Joseph Smith Reynolds was born in New Lenox, Ill., on 3 December 1839. He enlisted in the Union Army on 19 October 1861 and was commissioned second lieutenant on 31 December 1861. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 9 April 1862, captain on 24 November 1863, major on 9 April 1865, and lieutenant colonel on 21 May 1865. Reynolds was in active service for nearly four years. With the 64th Illinois Infantry Regiment and the Yates Sharpshooters, he fought in 17 Civil War battles, was wounded three times, and took part in Sherman's March to the Sea. On 16 July 1865, he was mustered out.

After the war, Reynolds took a law degree from the University of Chicago and was admitted to the bar in 1866. He served in the Illinois state House of Representatives, 1867-1869, and in the state Senate, 1872-1874. In 1874, he served on a commission to establish a state school for mentally retarded children. On 31 January 1877, he married Mattie A. Gray, who died in 1890. When Reynolds died in 1911, he was living in Pasadena, Calif.

(Note derived from appraisal letters of John Sharpe, CPRM, Inc. See also Who was Who in America I, 1899-1900; Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography, v. 277; Mark Mayo Boatner III, The Civil War Dictionary, p. 695.)

From the guide to the Joseph S. Reynolds Papers, 1860-1865, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)