The real Uncle Sam

by Denny Banister

Samuel Wilson was born in Massachusetts on Sept. 13, 1776. The son of a Minuteman, Samuel served as a messenger and service boy for the army of the colonies. He tended livestock and performed other routine farm chores typical for boys his age in the effort to help feed the soldiers.

After the Revolutionary War and now a grown man, Samuel put his livestock experience to work by going into the meat-packing business. But it wasn’t long before he found himself involved in another effort to help feed soldiers of the American army.

In 1812, the British once more attacked the “colonies.” No longer under British rule, the “colonies” were now called the United States of America. Great Britain was trying to make the United States colonies once again.

Samuel Wilson’s meat-packing business was invaluable to the war effort, supplying beef to the American army. Barrels of beef were shipped to the front lines to feed the soldiers, each barrel marked with the letters “U.S.”

The “U.S.” stamped on the barrels, of course, stood for “United States,” but not according to the soldiers on the receiving end of those barrels of meat. The soldiers said the “U.S.” stood for the nickname of the benefactor who supplied the beef.

You see, Samuel Wilson was a very loved and respected man, and his generosity was known far beyond the community where he worked and lived. A friend to all, Samuel Wilson was fondly nicknamed and called “Uncle Sam.”

The soldiers serving on the front lines in the War of 1812 knew about the kindness and generosity of Samuel Wilson, and they knew the barrels of beef were from Samuel Wilson’s meat-packing business. The soldiers said the “U.S.” on the barrels of meat stood for “Uncle Sam.”

The nickname caught on, and soon “U.S.” and “Uncle Sam” became synonymous among the soldiers. Newspaper cartoonists started drawing a tall, thin bearded man dressed in red, white and blue stars and stripes clothing to portray Uncle Sam, who in turn portrayed the United States government.

It wasn’t long before everyone in America knew Uncle Sam represented the United States, but most never knew why. Samuel Wilson passed away, but Uncle Sam lived on.

Congress ensured Samuel Wilson would not be forgotten to history. While his name and story may not appear in history books, Samuel Wilson’s name does appear in the Federal Register. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution officially recognizing Samuel Wilson as the real Uncle Sam.

Samuel Wilson was a true American patriot. He was a farmer who helped America win and keep her independence. Happy “4th of July” Uncle Sam.

(Denny Banister of Jefferson City, is assistant director of information and public relations for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)