T. M. Leach (Thomas M.) is definitely not my guy. He’s living in Rusk County, Texas in both 1860 and 1870 as a blacksmith, born in Tennessee and family members match. My Thornton Valentine Leach was born in 1833 in Indiana, was a farmer living in Wood Co., Texas in 1860 and Hays Co., Texas in 1870.
L. W. Leech (or Leach) is too young (age 23) and his residence at parole in 1865 shows as Panola County, Texas. That matches his rendezvous distance shown to Camp Taos in Navarro County, Texas. There is a D. W. Leach in Panola in 1870?
R. S. Lyles is from Van Zandt Co. and had 75 miles to rendezvous at Camp Taos. William Starr (not J. W.) had 100 miles from Wood Co., the same as M. Ethridge (Marion), the future brother-in-law of Thornton V. Leach (by 1870 in Hays Co., Texas). Both Marion Ethridge and Wm. Starr are on a Wood County, 12th Brigade Texas Militia list in 1861. The list shows men from Wood, Van Zandt and Smith Counties but R. S. Lyles, nor a Thornton Leach appear there. Thornton’s brother, R. H. (Robert Harrison) Leach, is also on the Confederate indigent list but he too has no Confederate records? Perhaps he and Thornton were in an unrecognized unit or one whose records were lost? Benjamin could be another brother, on the list, with no records? Other Leach's on the indigent list, some could be wives.
Thornton Leach is at home in January of 1863, as pointed out earlier in this thread, and attested to knowing the wife of William Starr, dead in the war in 1862. Texas State Library and Archives has indicated, because a Thornton Leach is specifically named on the 1863-65 Wood County indigent Confederate family list that he was a Confederate soldier. They said only soldiers and/or their wives received the indigent payments of the Texas Legislature from 1863 to 1865.
A family member is checking to see if they have a picture of Thornton Leach in a Confederate uniform, as claimed to exist. I will report, if found. Too much back door data exists to not believe he served.