McDaniel Reaves, Private, Company F, 21st Regiment Alabama Infantry, enlisted February 26 1863 at C. Bluff by Capt. Dade for 3 years or the war, admitted Post Hospital, Fort Morgan, Ala. December 22, 1863, Pneumonia, returned to duty January 22, 1864, captured at Fort Gaines August 8, 1864, received at Ship Island, Miss. from New Orleans, La., October 25, 1864, exchanged January 4, 1865, surrendered with his command and paroled May 13, 1865, resident of Wilcox County, Ala.
M311: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama
McDaniel was exchanged January 4, 1865 at Ship Island. Before he was exchanged he would have signed his parole not to take up arms against the United States until properly exchanged. Having been exchanged, he was free to return to his unit and take up arms again. The records show he was with his Company F when it was surrendered and subsequently paroled at wars end.
“why would his service record not have indicated that”
We do not find “service records” for Confederate soldiers as we know them today. What is available are mainly copies of bi-monthly muster reports of individual companies which survived and collected by the US War Department around the turn of the century 1900. These are in no way complete, many never made their way to Richmond, many were lost during the sacking of that city. The Compiled Service Records which contain most personal records rely mainly on these Confederate muster rolls supplemented by Federal POW, parole and hospital records.
Confederate records for the last year of the war are very scarce.
If a POW refused to be paroled and subsequently exchanged, he could remain in prison, swear Oath of Allegiance to the United States and be released to remain north of the Ohio river, or join the Federal Army.
On exchange, he would be turned have been turned over to Confederate authorities, usually at City Point, Va. where he would be returned to his regiment, discharged for disability, or admitted to hospital if ill.