That's because students, faculty and staff left then-McKendree College in 1862 to participate in the Civil War. "The school almost folded during the Civil War because so many of our students went ...

AVERY, ELROY MCKENDREE (14 July 1844-1 Dec ... At 17, he volunteered as a private in the Civil War, also serving as a war correspondent for the Detroit Daily Tribune. Avery entered the University of ...