author
1837–1908
A Confederate veteran who became a Methodist bishop, he spent decades preaching, teaching, and helping shape church life in the American South. His story connects military service, Reconstruction-era faith, and a long career in religious leadership.
by Ellison Capers
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1837, Ellison Capers studied at South Carolina College before the Civil War interrupted his path. He served in the Confederate Army, rising to the rank of brigadier general, and after the war entered the ministry in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Capers went on to hold a number of major church roles, including pastor, presiding elder, and editor, before being elected a bishop in the 1890s. He became known as a strong speaker and an influential figure in Southern Methodism during the late nineteenth century.
He died in 1908. Remembered both for his wartime record and his long religious career, Capers remains a figure tied closely to the history of South Carolina and Southern church life.