Thaddeus Stevens and the cow chopping incident
April 2025
By Ross Hetrick
Nearly everybody is familiar with the legend of the young George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and then confessing to his father because he "cannot tell a lie." A similar event happened to the young Thaddeus Stevens, but it involved chopping a cow.
Stevens was dealt a bad hand as a child in the rugged land of Vermont. His father was a ne'er-do-well who abandoned his wife and four sons when Thaddeus was twelve and his mother, Sarah, had to support the family by doing domestic work. But she was a great believer in education and she moved her family from Danville to Peacham, VT to be closer to the local academy.
Young Thaddeus thrived there and went on to the prestigious college of Dartmouth in New Hampshire in 1811. In his second year in college, Stevens transferred to Burlington College, now the University of Vermont. It was there that he had his chopping incident. College officials had urged local farmers not to let their cattle graze on the unenclosed campus because of the droppings they left. But one farmer, who Stevens called a "stubborn fellow," ignored the college's request and let his cow munch the grass and leave messy surprises for unsuspecting students.
Stevens and a friend decided to take matters into their own hands and they took an ax from a fellow student's woodshop and dispatched the offending bovine to its heavenly reward. They then returned the bloody ax to the woodshop. The surprised farmer complained to the college president and a search ensued and the ax was found in the innocent student's woodshop.
Stevens could have stayed quiet and let the unfortunate student take the blame and be expelled. But his conscience wouldn't let him. He and his friend went to the farmer and confessed and Stevens promised to pay double the cost of the cow when he got the money if the farmer didn't tell the college. Taking mercy on them, the farmer told the college that passing soldiers had actually killed the cow and had left it behind, not having time to butcher it. Charges were dropped against the falsely accused student.
Having avoided expulsion, Stevens went back to Dartmouth for his final year in college and graduated in August 1814. After Stevens became a successful lawyer in Gettysburg, he sent the farm the promised payment along with a gold watch and chain. In return, the farmer sent Stevens a barrel of cider.
The incident showed the basic integrity that Stevens would display for the rest of his life, even though he was known to take shortcuts to reach a desired goal. George Washington would have been proud.
Ross Hetrick is president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which is dedicated to promoting Stevens's important legacy. The Society operates the Thaddeus Stevens Museum at 46 Chambersburg St. in Gettysburg, PA. More information about the Great Commoner can be found at the society's website: https://www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com/
