Daniel Paris was born around 1822 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Not much is known about his early life, but service records indicate that he was a drayman prior to joining the army. He somehow made his way to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he enlisted on August 20, 1864, for a period of three years. At the time of his enlistment, he was 42 years old and stood 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion. He mustered in four days later as a private in the 5th USCT Heavy Artillery Regiment. During his time in the regiment, Paris was primarily stationed in Vicksburg on garrison duty. However, the regiment participated in various expeditions around the Mississippi Delta. The 5th USCT Heavy Artillery was present for an expedition from Vicksburg to Rodney and Fayette on September 29-October 3, 1864. The regiment also saw action in the expedition from Vicksburg to Yazoo City on November 23-December 4, 1864. The regiment mustered out on May 20, 1866. Paris never filed a pension, and no details of his life after the war have been found.