wˌɛn ðə sˈɪvəl wˈɔːɹ ɪɹˈʌptᵻd ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn, hˈoʊvi ɹɪzˈaɪnd fɹʌmðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi æt ðɪ ˈɛnd ʌvðə skˈuːl jˈɪɹ ænd ɹˈeɪzd ðə θˈɜːɾi θˈɜːd ˌɪlənˈɔɪ ˈɪnfəntɹi, ɐ ɹˈɛdʒɪmənt ˈɔːɹɡənˌaɪzd ɪn mək lˈiːn kˈaʊnti ænd lˈɑːɹdʒli kəmpɹˈaɪzɪŋ tˈiːtʃɚz ænd fˈɔːɹmɚ stˈuːdənts fɹʌm hɪz skˈuːl.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Hovey resigned from the university at the end of the school year and raised the 33rd Illinois Infantry, a regiment organized in McLean County and largely comprising teachers and former students from his school.