Edward McKendree Bounds (1835-1913), a Methodist minister and author of books chiefly on prayer, was born in rural Missouri on August 15, 1835. Although apprenticed as an attorney, Bounds felt called to the ministry in his early twenties. He was ordained by his denomination in 1859, and was named pastor of the Monticello, Missouri Methodist Church.
When the American Civil War began two years later, Bounds became a chaplain in the Confederate States Army and was taken prisoner during the first battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Upon his release, he felt compelled to return to war-torn Franklin and help rebuild it spiritually. His primary method was to establish weekly prayer sessions that sometimes lasted several hours. Bounds was regionally celebrated for leading spiritual revival in Franklin and eventually began an itinerant preaching ministry throughout the country.
Bounds was also named associate editor of the official Methodist newspaper, the Christian Advocate. He began writing books and articles almost continually until his death on August 24, 1913.
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