Please allow me to make a point of clarification here about sources.

Jim McGhee added to this discussion that Captain David Reed of 15th MO Cavalry was paroled at Jacksonport, AR in June 1865. This is a factual statement, and the only question would be that this Captain David Reed paroled in the NE corner of Arkansas in June 1865 is the same man as the blacksmith from Lowndes, east-central Wayne County. Based on the timeframe and the proximity of Jacksonport, AR to David Reed's area of operation, I would say that this is very likely the same man. David Reed of Wayne County served under the 2nd Missouri Cavalry in 1862 and early 1863, but he deserted 1 June 1863 to return home and defend his home in the manner he saw fit. This I obtained from his online military service record at the Missouri Secretary of State's website in the Missouri State Archives. I believe David Reed would have been welcomed into the ranks of the 15th Missouri Cavalry Regiment in those desperate days of 1865.

My contribution to this query is a very less certain Union patrol report that Union troops in Bollinger, Wayne, or Stoddard Counties between March 9 through 15 1865 killed a "Lieutenant Reed of Howard's guerrila company and 5 men..." I don't know anything about Howard's guerrilla band. I don't have anything else on Howard's band, nor how the patrol obtained such a name. I'm not concerned about the March 1865 Reed's rank of Lieutenant. Perhaps the Union patrol identified the dead Rebel officer from papers found on his person, or what a prisoner told them--we simply don't know. Information obtained by Union patrols was not always reliable, and that's the point I would like to make.

If you weigh Jim McGhee's contribution against mine, McGhee's has more validity. I want you to keep that in mind in your analysis.

I hope this helps.

Bruce