THE VETERANS' PRESS: Who is Uncle Sam?

I asked my 13-year-old granddaughter if she had ever heard of Uncle Sam? Pause. "Uhmmm. Maybe. I mean, I've heard it from somewhere."

The average American might connect Uncle Sam to his appearance on Army recruitment posters, or the representation of the United States, such as "I owe Uncle Sam $2,000 in taxes." The actual figure of Uncle Sam dates from the War of 1812, which sparked a new sense of belonging and national loyalty.

According to Legends of America, The Origin of Uncle Sam, the term Uncle Sam is said to have been derived from a man named Samuel Wilson. Samuel was born in Massachusetts and, at the age of 15, served in the American Revolution. After the war, he settled in the town of Troy, N.Y., where he and his brother, Ebenezer, began the firm of E. and S. Wilson, a meatpacking facility. Samuel was a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty, who was devoted to his country. He was well liked, and local residents began to refer to him as "Uncle Sam".

During the War of 1812, the demand for meat supply for the troops was badly needed. Secretary of War, William Eustis, made a contract with Elbert Anderson, Jr. of New York City to supply and issue all rations necessary for the United States forces in New York and New Jersey for one year. Anderson ran an advertisement on October 6, 1813, looking to fill the contract. The Wilson brothers bid for the contract and won. The contract was to fill 2,000 barrels of pork and 3,000 barrels of beef for one year. Situated on the Hudson River, their location made it ideal to receive the animals and to ship the product.

At the time, contractors were required to stamp their name and where the rations came from onto the food they were sending. Wilson's packages were labeled "E.A. — U.S., which stood for Elbert Anderson, the contractor, and the United States. When an individual in the meatpacking facility asked what it stood for, a coworker joked and said it referred to Sam Wilson — "Uncle Sam."

A number of soldiers who were originally from Troy also saw the designation on the barrels, and being acquainted with Sam Wilson and his nickname, "Uncle Sam", felt proud that Wilson was feeding the army. The local newspaper soon picked up on the story, and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance as the nickname for the U. S. federal government.

An endearing story — but is it truth? As many legends, the precise origin of the Uncle Sam character is unclear. Regardless of the actual source, Uncle Sam immediately became popular as a symbol of an ever-changing nation. As for the iconic Army recruitment poster, credit goes to James Montgomery Flagg. As written in The Vintage News, during World War I, Flagg was appointed New York State military artist. His famous Uncle Sam image first appeared on the cover of the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie's Weekly magazine, with the headline "What are YOU doing for preparedness?" Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam, and veteran Walter Botts provided the pose.

Flagg repurposed the painting for the U.S. Army the following year and it was reprinted again during World War II. Flagg's Uncle Sam inspiration most likely came from a similar 1914 British poster designed by Alfred Leete, which depicted Lord Kitchener, the British secretary of state for war, pointing and saying "Your country needs YOU." Flagg made a total of 46 propaganda posters and agreed to paint a portrait of anyone who contributed $1,000 to the Liberty Bond war effort. Four million copies of his classic Uncle Sam recruiting poster were plastered on billboards across America during World War I. This skinny, scowling — and a bit scary — bearded Sam, with his commanding pointer finger, would become one of the most recognizable images of the century.

In September 1961, the U.S. Congress recognized Samuel Wilson as "the progenitor of America's national symbol of Uncle Sam." Wilson died at age 88 in 1854, and was buried next to his wife Betsey Mann in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York, the town that calls itself "The Home of Uncle Sam."