John Fulton Reynolds was born on September 20, 1820 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the son of John and Lydia (Moore) Reynolds. He was of Irish and French Huguenot ancestry, his grandfather, William Reynolds, having come to America from Ireland in 1762.
He received his early education in John Beck's school in the Moravian village of Lititz, Pennsylvania, and a school at Longgreen, Maryland, and later returned to enroll in the Lancaster County Academy. In 1837 he entered the United States Military Academy from which he was graduated in 1841, twenty-sixth in a class of fifty-two.
He was brevetted second lieutenant, 3rd Artillery, and October 23, 1841, received his regular commission. In 1843 he served in Florida; in 1844, at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina; in 1845, at Corpus Christi; and later at Fort Brown, Texas.
The following year he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and accompanied General Taylor to Mexico. For bravery at Monterey, he was brevetted captain, and on Feburary 23, 1847, was brevetted major for especial gallantry in action at Buena Vista. For several years after the Mexican War, he did garrison duty in various New England forts, at New Orleans, and Fort Lafayette, New York.
He accompanied an expedition overland to Salt Lake City in the summer of 1854; was promoted captain, March 3, 1855, and was commended for his service against the Rogue River Indians in Oregon. In December 1856, he arrived at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, remaining there until 1858, when he crossed the plains again in the campaign against the Mormons. He was stationed at Fort Vancouver, Washington, 1859-60, and in September 1860, he was appointed commandant of cadets at West Point, where he also served as instructor in artillery, cavalry, and infantry tactics. With the beginning of the Civil War, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, assigned to the 14th Infantry and ordered to New London to recruit his regiment. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers on August 20, 1861, and was assigned to the Pennsylvania Reserves.
In May 1862, he was made military governor of Fredericksburg. He participated in the fighting at Mechanicsville and later at Gaines's Mill where, on June 28, 1862, he was taken prisoner and sent to Richmond. After spending six weeks in Libby Prison, he was exchanged for Gen. William Barksdale through the efforts of the civil authorities of Fredericksburg.
He rejoined the army on August 8, and was assigned command of the 3rd Division, Pennsylvania Reserves. He joined Pope on his march to Warrenton on August 21, 1862, and engaged in fighting on August 29 and 30. When Pope's forces retired to Washington, Gov. Andrew Gregg Curtin requested Reynolds' assignment in command of the Pennsylvania militia to withstand the expected invasion.
He later returned to the Army of the Potomac in command of the I Army Corps. On November 29, 1862, he was appointed major-general of volunteers. He participated in the Rappahannock campaign, and at Fredericksburg his corps and Meade's division broke the enemy line, but, receiving no support, could not hold the gain.
At Chancellorsville on May 2 and 3, 1863, he urged Hooker to attack the enemy's left flank, and, had his plan been executed, the Union forces might well have triumphed. On June 1, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the regular army. When it was apparent that the Confederates would force a decisive battle on Northern soil, Reynolds was assigned the left wing of the army and ordered to prevent Longstreet from striking Washington. Sharp engagements at Thoroughfare Gap and Aldie, Virginia, accomplished this goal.
On June 28, 1863, Meade succeeded Hooker in command and immediately ordered Reynolds to occupy Gettysburg. Reynolds set his three corps, I, III, and XI, in motion. Assigning command of the I Corps to Abner Doubleday, Reynolds set out from Red Tavern on the morning of July 1, 1863, starting Wadsworth's division along with him. At Gettysburg about nine o'clock in the morning, he found the cavalry under Buford sorely pressed and therefore hurried back to speed up Wadsworth's Division. Returning to the battlefield at the head of the 2nd Wisconsin Regiment, Reynolds turned to them as they reached a woods and called out, "push forward men and drive those fellows out of the woods". A moment later a sharpshooter's bullet killed him. His body was carried from the battlefield in a blanket swung between soldiers' muskets, and on July 4, 1863, he was buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Fully six feet in height, with dark hair and eyes, very erect in carriage, he was a commanding figure. He was a superb horseman, an exceptionally courageous, self-reliant officer who executed his orders with a personal force that inspired his troops to heights of valor. His advice was frequently sought by his brother officers, who recognized his military genius and appreciated his charity of thought and freedom from personal bias.
He had never married.
