author
Ellison Capers
1837–1908
A South Carolinian whose life moved from classrooms and battlefields to the pulpit, he became one of the best-known church leaders in the state after the Civil War. His story brings together military service, teaching, and a long career in the Episcopal Church.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1837, Ellison Capers studied at the South Carolina Military Academy, now The Citadel, and later taught there. During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army and rose to the rank of brigadier general.
After the war, Capers turned to the ministry and became a leading figure in the Episcopal Church in South Carolina. He studied theology, served as a priest, and was consecrated assistant bishop of South Carolina in 1887 before becoming bishop in 1893.
Capers was also known as an educator, theologian, and college administrator, and he remained active in church and public life until his death in Columbia in 1908. Today he is remembered both for his military record and for his later work as a bishop and religious leader.