Many people are surprised to learn that “Uncle Sam,” most famously depicted on a recruiting poster for the U.S. Army, was a real person. He was Samuel Wilson.
According to family Bible records, Samuel Wilson was born Sept. 13, 1766, in Old Menotomy (now Arlington), Massachusetts, the fourth son in a family of 13 children. Samuel was going on 9 years of age on April 18, 1775, when Paul Revere rode down the Medford Road and past the Wilson farm toward Lexington, warning the locals that the British troops were on the march.
The next day, a convoy of supplies sent by British Lord Percy took a wrong turn and was captured by the old men of Menotomy, who hid the wagons on the Wilson land and shared the unexpected bounty. Young Samuel witnessed these events, which undoubtedly made a strong impression on him.
After the American Revolution, the Wilson family moved to New Hampshire. In 1789 Sam and his brother Ebenezer decided that they would travel to Troy, New York, to set up a brick-making business. From relatives and passing travelers they learned of this thriving community and hoped to make their fortunes there. In 1793 the brothers began a meat-packing business, and before long they were slaughtering up to 150 head of cattle a day.
By the time the War of 1812 was being fought in earnest, the Wilson brothers had an extensive meat-packing business, employing more than 100 men and slaughtering almost 1,000 head of cattle per week.
The Wilson brothers received a government contract for 11 months to supply 2,000 barrels of prime pork and 3,000 barrels of prime beef, “all to be packed in full bound barrels of white oak.” The government order was so large that the Wilson brothers had to open their own cooperage to make the oak barrels.
At this juncture, Sam was appointed a meat inspector. After inspection, each barrel was stamped “U.S.,” the abbreviation for “United States.” According to one legend a contingent of British troops captured a shipment of meat and one soldier asked the meatpacker what the “U.S.” stood for and the man replied, “Oh, that just stands for Uncle Sam. We always put his name on.”
Because of his large commercial enterprise, everyone in Troy knew him, and within a short time everything that belonged to the federal government carried his sobriquet: “Uncle Sam’s wagons,” “Uncle Sam’s payroll,” “Uncle Sam’s military,” and so on. Periodicals from 1814 are full of such references.
Samuel Wilson died in Troy on July 31, 1854. He was buried the next day in Mount Ida Cemetery, but his body was later removed to Oakwood Cemetery in that city.
A photograph taken of him late in life does show him with white hair and a small goatee but not exactly as portrayed by James Montgomery Flagg in the recruitment poster. Nevertheless, “Uncle Sam” has been an integral part of our national identity for almost 200 years.
The National Society United States Daughters of 1812 is a volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism and to preserving and increasing knowledge of the history of the American people – specifically from the close of the American Revolution to the close of the War of 1812 (1784-1815).
The members of the Georgia Society encourage you to learn more about the War of 1812, America’s “Second War of Independence.”
Rebecca M. West
State Chairman, Public Relations
Georgia Society United States Daughters of 1812
Fayetteville, Ga.
