Reynolds was exchanged on October 13, 1863, and promoted to brigadier general to rank from September 14, 1863.
Reynolds led a brigade in Maj.
Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner's division during the Chattanooga Campaign.
After Confederate President Davis ordered Lt.
Gen. James Longstreet to recapture Knoxville, Tennessee, Buckner's division was sent as a reinforcement.
When the Union army attacked Bragg on 23 November, Reynolds' brigade was still waiting to board the trains that would take them to Knoxville.
Detached from its parent division, Bragg sent it into the fight.

In the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Bragg and corps commander John C. Breckinridge probably committed a serious tactical blunder in placing the troops of Reynolds and other brigades in a first line of breastworks at the base of the ridge.
In case of a Federal attack, the two generals intended for Reynolds' men to fire a single volley and fall back to a position on the crest where a gap was deliberately left.
To compound the error, Bragg ordered Reynolds to move his brigade back to the top of the ridge early in the afternoon.
Coincidentally, his men began pulling back just as the main Union attack began.
This encouraged the attacking Federals and demoralized nearby Confederate troops in the first line.
Reynolds' troops were winded by the time they reached their empty position on the crest.
When Union soldiers broke through the next brigade to the north, his exhausted men put up a brief resistance before retreating.
Reynolds was exchanged on October 13, 1863, and promoted to brigadier general to rank from September 14, 1863. Reynolds led a brigade in Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner's division during the Chattanooga Campaign. After Confederate President Davis ordered Lt. Gen. James Longstreet to recapture Knoxville, Tennessee, Buckner's division was sent as a reinforcement. When the Union army attacked Bragg on 23 November, Reynolds' brigade was still waiting to board the trains that would take them to Knoxville. Detached from its parent division, Bragg sent it into the fight.
In the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Bragg and corps commander John C. Breckinridge probably committed a serious tactical blunder in placing the troops of Reynolds and other brigades in a first line of breastworks at the base of the ridge. In case of a Federal attack, the two generals intended for Reynolds' men to fire a single volley and fall back to a position on the crest where a gap was deliberately left. To compound the error, Bragg ordered Reynolds to move his brigade back to the top of the ridge early in the afternoon. Coincidentally, his men began pulling back just as the main Union attack began. This encouraged the attacking Federals and demoralized nearby Confederate troops in the first line. Reynolds' troops were winded by the time they reached their empty position on the crest. When Union soldiers broke through the next brigade to the north, his exhausted men put up a brief resistance before retreating.
Alexander W. Reynolds