Upon the enactment of Missouri's May 1861 "Military Bill" Snead was appointed aide-de-camp to Governor Jackson and commissioned an officer in the Missouri State Guard. He participated in the Battles of Boonville, Carthage, Wilson's Creek, and Lexington during the fight against Union forces for control of the state. After the Missouri State Guard was merged into the Confederate Army, Snead served as chief of staff for General Sterling Price's Army of the West.