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Professor Emeritus at Ohio Wesleyan University Richard W. Smith has made a thorough study of the life and times of Bishop of Ohio, Charles P. McIlvaine (1799-1873), an Episcopalian cleric who became an anti-slavery spokesman and pushed for his fellow churchmen to do likewise. McIlvaine had a notable career as an educator, writer, and Chaplain to the US Senate. He journeyed several times to England during the Civil War at the behest of President Lincoln to solicit support for the Union war effort. Though there was much pro-Confederacy sentiment abroad and though McIlvaine himself had taught both Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis at West Point, he performed his duties overseas stalwartly. He was entertained by the Prince of Wales and made influential contact with others highly placed in Parliament and at Oxford, including the Reverend William Carus, who became a close confidante. His travels resulted in so deep an attachment for England that after the war, believing he would die soon, he returned to Europe and passed away there.
In this academically framed work, Smith seeks to educate readers about the private life of this brilliant, zealous Ohioan as much as to explore the record of his public achievements. Much of the material about McIlvaine was destroyed after his death, and so for detailed information about his subject, Smith turned to family archives provided by McIlvaine’s descendants. Supporting the many factual resources, Smith provides copious footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. Written by a well-informed biographer, Bishop McIlvaine’s story could scarcely be more thorough. Smith’s work will doubtless be of interest to students of religion, social movements, and politics in nineteenth century Ohio and the US.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review