The Civil War had wrought a devastating impact on Trinity College. Many of its students from Union states had been "drawn away into the ranks of the army." What had been a "considerable" number of students from states that seceded as part of the Confederacy had been reduced to zero. Thus, Trinity College was in serious straits. Kerfoot's taking the office of president "was the turning of the tide" for the college. Even though Kerfoot's time as president was brief, the effectiveness of his administration was demonstrated by fact that the college moved "forward so strongly and well in the years" after he left.