You're welcome. To better flesh out more that I have written on Leeper on his background and character, I am cutting and pasting an archived message that I posted on this board back in 2005. It stated--

"Leeper was originally a magistrate, school teacher and occasional preacher who was born and raised in Maury County, TN. He emigrated to Wayne County, Missouri not long before the outbreak of the war and was elected county surveyor in 1860. During the war Leeper served first as a private in the Wayne County Cavalry Six Month Militia (Haw Eater Scouts), then as captain in Co. B, 12th MSM Cav. which was redesignated Co. L, 3rd MSM Cav. on 4 Feb. 1863. He was drummed out of the MSM in April 1864 for incompetence. Said one close colleague 'notwithstanding Capt. Leeper's shortcomings and all of that, I have to say of him, and for him, that his firm stand early in '61 for the Union done great things for the cause of the Union in Wayne and adjoining counties.' The same source referred to Leeper as being 'a little shaky in his boots' and as having 'showed the white feather' to often during the "shock of battle.' After he was kicked out of the MSM, as a fit, loyal male, he had to enroll in the Enrolled Missouri Militia. Serving as a lowly private in the 68th EMM in 1864-1865 Leeper was considered for promotion to brigadier general from that rank before the Radical powers-that-be settled for an appointment as colonel (as a private in the 68th EMM, Leeper continued to be referred to as 'captain')."

Based upon his late-war promotion, Leeper was often referred to as colonel after the war was over.

The above cut and paste is a distillation of a fairly thorough profile I present of Leeper in my book, "The Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand, The Renowned Missouri Bushwhacker," published by the University of Arkansas Press and available by following the contributing authors link on this board. I would also note that this same book offers a pretty thorough overview of the Federal campaign against the Cato family.