Leeper was a very high-profile individual. As one of 99 members of the State Convention that ran Missouri for most of the war, he had a power-base that transcended his service in any unit. Even as a captain in the 3rd MSM Cavalry, the concept of "chain of command" did not apply to him, as he was operating autonomously and was reporting directly to senior general officers in St. Louis. After he was booted out of the 3rd MSM his rank in the 68th EMM was as a private, and he was STILL corresponding directly with general officers (references to "Capt." Leeper in April 1865 was as a courtesy title based on past service, not his rank at the time).

The Leeper purge by the 3rd MSM Cavalry did not end with him as a person, but also hit the men who had directly reported to him. Shortly after Leeper was sent packing Company L was moved to Cape Girardeau and was operating with the 2nd MSM Cavalry; and Company L, 2nd MSM Cavalry was operating under the command of the 3rd MSM Cavalry out of Pilot Knob. I have never found an explanation for this very strange "trade," but an educated guess tells me it was determined that L/3MSM had to be taken out of the area because it was still Leeper's beast and the personal grudge-settling culture of the company was what it was.

My book on Hildebrand takes up the issue of Leeper, his background and his propensities. It is probably the most thorough compilation of Leeper information that has been published. The index to the book will direct you to what I have on him.

Interestingly enough, illustrating the total control the Radicals had gained over the state of Missouri in 1865, in the spring of that year Leeper was being considered for promotion to general (from a rank of private). That idea probably proved to be too much for even the Radicals -- instead, on June 24, 1865, Leeper was promoted to colonel and took command of the 24th Missouri Militia in Iron County.

Regarding the 3rd MSM Cavalry itself, it is best to approach that unit with caution in regard to research. Over the years this unit has been portrayed as being mysterious with very little information on it in existence. Nothing could be further from the truth -- click here for a previous discussion on the issue: http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/mocwmb/webbbs_config.pl?read=8549