Brigadier-General Alexander Welch Reynolds was born in Clarke county, Va., in August, 1817, and was graduated at the United States military academy in 1838, in the class of Generals Beauregard, Hardee, Edward Johnson and Stevenson. He was promoted second lieutenant First infantry on graduation, and first lieutenant a year later; served in the Florida war as adjutant of his regiment in 1838-40, and again in 1840-41; subsequently was on frontier duty in the northwest, and then on recruiting service until 1847, when he was promoted captain and assigned to quartermaster duty. In the latter capacity he served at Philadelphia, in the Mexican war, and in Indian Territory and New Mexico. He was on duty as a quartermaster at various points, mainly in Texas, from 1857, until he left the United States service to enter the Confederate army, in which he received the rank of captain of infantry. In July, 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the Fiftieth Virginia infantry, Floyd's brigade, with which he participated in Floyd's campaign in West Virginia. He was in command of the post at Lewisburg during the winter following. After the men had returned from the Fort Donelson campaign, Colonel Reynolds was ordered in April to collect his regiment and go to the support of Gen. E. Kirby Smith, at Knoxville. A few weeks later, he was in command of a brigade composed of the Thirty-ninth and Forty-third Georgia infantry, to which was added Latrobe's Maryland battery. With this command he was sent to Chattanooga, and thence to Vicksburg, where he was assigned to Stevenson's division, in command of a brigade of four Tennessee regiments. He was commended officially for his faithful service during the siege of Vicksburg. Being exchanged in July, 1863, he resumed command of his brigade, when it was restored to the service, with the rank of, brigadier-general. After the battle of Chickamauga he was assigned to a brigade composed of the Fifty-eighth and Sixtieth North Carolina and the Fifty-fourth and Sixty-third Virginia, which he commanded in the battle of Missionary Ridge. Subsequently his brigade mas attached to Stevenson's division, Hardee's corps, with which he was actively engaged in the Atlanta campaign, until painfully wounded at New Hope church. Upon the close of hostilities he went to Egypt, and in 1866 was appointed a brigadier-general in the army of the khedive. After serving in the Abyssinian war he resided for a time at Cairo, and died at Alexandria, Egypt, May 26, 1876
Confederate Military History, Vol. III, pp. 655-656