Samuel Wilson, a meat packer in Troy, New York, supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. To segregate barrels that were shipped to the Army from those he shipped to his other customers, he stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for United States.  Soldiers receiving the shipments began referring to Wilson’s barrels as shipments from “Uncle Sam.” Soon the local newspaper picked up on the story and “Uncle Sam” became a popular nickname for the U.S. federal government.

This is similar to how “GI” become a nickname for US soldiers.  “G.I.” was originally stamped on military trash cans and buckets in the early 20^th Century. The two-letter abbreviation stood for the material from which these items were made: galvanized iron.  Eventually soldiers in World War II to start referring to themselves as GIs. Some servicemen used it as a sarcastic reference symbolizing their belief that they were just mass-produced products of the government.

“Uncle Sam” will enter the civilian scene in the late 1860s when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Uncle Sam the white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that are associated with the character today.  During World War I, this portrait of Sam with the words “I Want You For The U.S. Army” was used as a recruiting poster. 

Samuel Wilson died in 1854, and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York, the town that calls itself “The Home of Uncle Sam.”

---

Want to have the
Regimental Brewmeister
at your site or event?

You can hire me.

https://colonialbrewer.com/yes-you-can-hire-me-for-your-event-or-site/