Chapter II: Part 2

"Old uncle Sam. _come_ there to change
Some pancakes and some onions,
For _lasses cakes_, to carry home
To give his wife and young ones."

That this version was actually printed in 1789 rests upon the assertion of Farmer and Moore. This Society owns a copy of "The Yankey's Return from Camp" which was probably printed in 1813.[115] The Boston Public Library owns a copy, entitled "The Farmer and his Son's return from a visit to the Camp,"[116] which I believe to be earlier[117] than the version in the library of this Society. In 1857 it was stated that "the verses commencing 'Father and I went down to camp,' were written by a gentleman of Connecticut, a short time after Gen. Washington's last visit to New England."[118] Now this visit was made in 1789, and, curiously enough, it was in that very year that Royall Tyler's play of "The Contrast" was acted; and in that play, published in 1790, the words made their earliest known appearance in print.[119] The stanza quoted above is first found in the version of 1824 and is not in either of the three versions certainly printed in or before 1813. Hence we cannot, without better evidence, accept the Farmer and Moore stanza as antedating 1824. Yet it is perfectly possible that the stanza was written before the war of 1812,[120] and if it was, the fact would seem to be all but fatal to the Wilson story.

The third explanation of the origin of Uncle Sam is that the sobriquet was merely a jocular extension of the letters U. S. This explanation, like the Wilson story, rests purely on assumption. There is nothing in the least either unusual or remarkable in the process of abbreviating a term and then expanding it. In the amenities of political warfare in this country in 1855, it was considered the height of wit to dub a politician "D. D." and then expand the initials into something derogatory. In this way John Petitt became "Dirty Dog," Stephen A. Douglas became "Debauched Douglas," and David R. Atchison became "Drunken Davy."[121] During the same period in England, we find the same manifestation. The London Transport Corps Regiment, which was formed in 1854 and 1855 for service in the Crimea, went by the nickname of the "London Thieving Company." When its name was changed in 1857 to Military Train, it was dubbed "Murdering Thieves," "Muck Tumblers," "Muck Train," and "Moke Train,"--the third a corruption of the last, said to have been due to the employment of Spanish mules instead of horses.[122] I can well remember how, as a boy, I used to wonder whether General Grant had actually been christened U. S. and whether those letters stood for the United States. 'I have since learned that Grant was called not only "United States" Grant, but also "Uncle Sam" Grant, "Unconditional Surrender" Grant, and "United we Stand" Grant.[123] During the past decade the South African War has enabled us to observe these nicknames in the very making. A London newspaper of January 14, 1900, asserted that "by a facetious adaptation of initials as Roman numerals [C.I.V.], the City of London Imperial Volunteers, now on their way to the front, achieve the title of the 104th, an appellation likely to commend itself to the regiment."[124] Nicknames have a way of disappearing rapidly, but this particular one seems to have stuck.[125] But it was by no means the only one in which the C. I. V. rejoiced. Those who opposed the war invented "Chamberlain's Innocent Victims," while Tommy Atkins converted the initials into "Can I Venture?" A more unpleasant nickname was "Covered In Vermin."[126] The Imperial Yeomanry were collectively called "Innocent Youths."[127]

Does the history of the term Uncle Sam, now given for the first time, tend to support or to overthrow this explanation of the origin of the sobriquet? While the initials U. S. were well known in 1812 and 1813, yet no doubt the war made them still more common. "The letters U. S.," explained the _Troy Post_ of September 7, 1813, "on the government waggons, &c. are supposed to have given rise to it."[128] On October 1, 1813, a writer spoke of "Uncle Sam, the now popular explication of the U. S."[129] By implication it may be inferred that this was the view of Paulding in 1831,[130] of Abdy in 1835,[131] and of an unknown Englishman in 1838.[132] It was stated at the beginning of this paper that the history of nicknames usually follows one general course,--that those who, at the time of origin, perhaps know the real explanation do not record it, and that later people begin guessing. Must it not be admitted that Uncle Sam is an exception to the rule? that those who first used the sobriquet did record its origin? and that the explanation they gave is the true explanation?

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See Brother Jonathan, Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, VII, 94-122.

[2] "She was called Catalina, and, like all other vessels in that trade, except the Ayacucho, her papers and colors were from Uncle Sam" (Two Years before the Mast, 1841, p. 168). This extract is quoted in Farmer and Henley's Slang and its Analogues (1904), where it is dated 1835. The preface to Dana's book is dated July, 1840. Uncle Sam was first recognized in 1848 in Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, whence it found its way into the 1860 edition of Worcester and into subsequent dictionaries.

[3] The term does not appear in the following books, where, if known at all or in general use, it would be certain to turn up: J. K. Paulding, The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan, by Hector Bull-us, 1812; The Beauties of Brother Bull-us, by his loving Sister Bull-a, 1812 (a reply to Paulding's book); W. Dunlap, Yankee Chronology, 1812; The Wars of the Gulls, 1812; Paulding, The United States and England, 1814; The Reviewers Reviewed, 1815; D. Humphrey, The Yankey in England, 1815. The first appearance of the term in a book was in The Adventures of Uncle Sam, 1816. See p. 40, below. Besides these books, political skits (written largely in Biblical language) were not uncommon in the newspapers. See _Columbian Centinel_ (Boston), November 7, 1812, p. 1-3; _The Yankee_ (Boston), August 13, 1813, p. 2-2; _Portsmouth Oracle_, February 26, 1814, p. 3-1; _Columbian Centinel_, March 2, 1814, p. 1-2. While John Bull, Brother Jonathan, and John Codline (that is, New Englanders) figure in these skits, there is no allusion to Uncle Sam. It may be added that in his Jonathan Bull and Mary Bull, written in 1821, Madison makes no mention of Uncle Sam.

[4] View of the State of Parties in the United States (second edition, 1812), p. 159. The author of this work gives January 21, as the date of Williams's speech. The true date is January 24. See the _Connecticut Courant_ of February 5, 1812, p. 2-3.

[5] See _Connecticut Courant_, January 12, 1813, p. 3-4; _Portsmouth Oracle_, June 26, 1813, p. 2-5; _Columbian Centinel_, August 7, 1813, p. 2-4; _New York Herald_, August 31, 1814, p. 1-5; The Yankee in London, 1826, p. 96. "General David R. Williams," said the _Portsmouth Oracle_ of January 8, 1814, "commonly called thunder and lightning David, has resigned his command, without sinking the fast anchored island" (p. 4-1). In the _Lansingburgh Gazette_ of December 27, 1814, appeared the following: "'Thunder & lightning' Williams, formerly a member of Congress, and lately for about a month a brigadier-general, is elected Governor of South Carolina" (p. 3-3).

[6] _New England Palladium_, June 30, 1812, p. 1.

[7] Even as late as March 15, 1823, the expression was still remembered. See _Niles' Register_ of that date, XXIV, 32.

[8] _Columbian Centinel_, February 3, 1813, p. 2-1. See also Quincy's Speeches delivered in the Congress of the United States (1874), pp. 389, 390. In Harper's Encyclopædia of United States History (1902) will be found reproduced a caricature of Quincy, described as follows:

"In one caricature he was called 'Josiah the First,' and had upon his breast, as the decoration of an order, crossed codfishes, in allusion to his persistent defence of the New England fisheries. He was also called 'King' because of his political domination in New England. In the caricature his coat was scarlet, his waistcoat brown, his breeches light green, and his stockings white. In a space near the head, in the original, were the words, 'I, Josiah the First, do, by this royal proclamation, announce myself King of New England, Nova Scotia, and Passamaquoddy, Grand Master of the noble order of the Two Codfishes'" (VII, 358).

[9] _Military Monitor_ (New York), July 12, 1813, I, 363.

[10] _Aurora_ (Philadelphia), October 25, 1813, p. 2-3. The following toast was given at Passyunk in 1813: "Governor Strong and Orator Fum--two peas of a pod. 3 Groans!" (_Aurora_, July 12, 1813, p. 2-5).

[11] _Independent Chronicle_ (Boston), September 30, 1813, p. 2-3. In connection with Quincy, it is perhaps worth while to quote the following, for the sake of what is apparently an unrecorded use of the term hand organ: "THE _Virginia Argus_--one of Mr. MADISON'S hand organs--calls upon the Federalists of the North to abandon QUINCY" (_Columbian Centinel_, August 29, 1812, p. 1-5).

[12] _Columbian Centinel_, November 4, 1812, p. 2-4.

[13] _Columbian Centinel_, October 28, 1812, p. 1-4.

[14] The two anonymous Addresses or Letters, as they are sometimes called, written in March, 1783, will be found in A Collection of Papers, relative to Half-Pay and Commutation of Half-Pay, Granted by Congress to the Officers of the Army, Fish-Kill, 1783, pp. 16-21.

In the _Columbian Centinel_ of July 22, 1812, "Brutus" asked: "As a friend to liberty and republicanism, I wish to inquire whether Mr. _Armstrong_ lately made a Brigadier General in our army by President _Madison_, is the same man, who has been supposed to have written the letters to the army in 1783, advising them to retain their arms, till they had forced the civil authorities to comply with their demands, and compensated themselves by plundering the innocent and defenceless citizens?" (p. 2-3). In the _New York Herald_ of January 20, 1813, is the following: "_New Secretary at War._--Gen. Armstrong's appointment has passed the Senate by a majority of three. Yesterday we mentioned that a Captain Jones of Philadelphia, was appointed _Secretary of the Navy_. So that we have for a Secretary of the Navy a man who headed a Philadelphia mob, to encourage the administration to pursue the war, and a Secretary of the Army, a man who exerted his best abilities to induce the heroes of the revolution to turn their arms against their own country. Nothing was wanting to compleat the administration but a man for Secretary of the Treasury who once headed a rebellion, and they have him in Albert Gallatin" (p. 1-2). William Jones was the new Secretary of the Navy. In the _New York Herald_ of September 3, 1813, is an extract taken from the _Federal Republican_ (of Washington): "_Appointments-in-petto_--BOMBASTICO INCHIQUIN to be Attorney General, vice MARQUIS OF WHITEWASH, so long inimical in the cabinet to secretary Mars.--_Note_: this nomination can only be read, at present, by a _Rush-light_. Brigadier-General BOANERGES to be Secretary of War, vice DUKE OF NEWBURGH, to be removed under the standing rescript of the Virginia dynasty" (p. 4-2). "Bombastico Inchiquin" was Charles J. Ingersoll, author of Inchiquin, the Jesuit's Letters (1810); the "Marquis of Whitewash" was apparently William Pinckney; "Rush-light" is an allusion to Richard Rush; while the identity of "Brigadier General Boanerges" escapes me.

Satirical allusions to the "Virginia dynasty" were long common in the Northern newspapers. In the _Columbian Centinel_ of February 6, 1813, a correspondent said: "I WAS one of those who predicted in the year 1801, that the _Virginia_ dynasty, which was at that time coming into power therein ever after to remain, would violate the Public Faith then pledged to the public creditors" (p. 2-1). See also _New York Evening Post_, November, 1812, p. 2-5; _Columbian Centinel_, November 7, 1812, 2-3; _Columbian Centinel_, June 4, 1814, p. 2-3.

[15] A satirical poem called "An Intercepted Letter, from Tall Tommy to Little Jemmy" appeared in the _Salem Gazette_ of November 3, 1814, p. 4-1.

[16] "And it came to pass ... that there arose a mighty man in the land, called Thomas, the Magician, on account of his great skill and cunning in dark and mysterious projects" (Adventures of Uncle Sam, 1812, p. 10).

[17] The Yankee in London, 1826, p. 9.

[18] See note 15, above.

[19] _New York Herald_, April 16, 1814, p. 4-1.

[20] _Connecticut Courant_, January 19, 1813, p. 3-1.

[21] "The reins of government were now held by Mundungus, the great tetrarch of the nation, the apostle and successor of the great Conundrum" (The Yankee in London, 1826, p. 93).

[22] _Portsmouth Oracle_, August 27, 1814, p. 2-2. In the _Columbian Centinel_ of January 26, 1814, appeared these lines (p. 4-1):

"Then, soon will the Country submit to the thing
Which we wanted--_to make_ MADISON _King_!"

[23] A poetical skit entitled "All Tories Together," which appeared in the _Aurora_ of October 7, 1813, began thus (p. 2-5):

"Oh! come in true jacobin trim,
With birds of the same color'd feather,
Bring your plots and intrigues, uncle TIM,
And let's all be tories together."

In the _Northern Centinel_ (Burlington, Vermont) of December 3, 1813, appeared the following: "But, the bold _benevolents_ of Vermont have lately smuggled from the enemy a Governor of the true British stamp, and have placed him upon the throne of State. This must eclipse the boasted feats of _Bulwark Strong_, _Uncle Tim_, and _Fi-fo-fum_, these three champions, will need something more than their own sagacity, to place them again in the front rank of toryism, nothing short of their smuggling out the duke of York and Mrs. Clark can raise these eastern heroes to a level with his Majesty's brave subjects in Vermont" (p. 3-3). The allusion is to the recent election by the Legislature, there having been no election by the people, of Martin Chittenden as Governor of Vermont. By "benevolents" are meant members of the Washington Benevolent Societies, then common.

[24] "The proclamation, dated "Camp near Buffalo," is printed in the _Columbian Centinel_ of November 25, 1812, p. 2-4. A parody on the proclamation, ending as follows, was printed in the _Albany Gazette_ of December 3, 1812 (p. 3-4):

"And thus I close my _message_ with
The NAME of ALEXANDER SMYTH!
A GEN'RAL, _Brigadier_, _Inspector_,
Commander, Conq'ror, and Protector--
Whose 'Brock's _black reg'ment_' ne'er did fear yet,
In _camp_ at Buffalo, or _near_ it."

Sir Isaac Brock, to whom Hull had capitulated, was killed at Queenston on October 13, 1812.

The boasting proclamations issued by the American generals were a constant source of ridicule in the peace papers. In his proclamation of July 12, 1812, General Hull said: "Had I any doubt of eventual success, I might ask your assistance, but I do not. I come prepared for any contingency--I have a force that will look down all opposition, and that force is but a vanguard of a much greater" (_Columbian Centinel_, August 5, 1812, p. 1-4). The _Portsmouth Oracle_ of September 8, 1812, spoke of Hull's proclamation "to look down opposition" in Canada (p. 3-4). The _Connecticut Courant_ of December 22, 1812, said that Hull "issued a look down proclamation to the affrighted Canadians" (p. 1-4). The _Manlius Times_, quoted in the _New England Palladium_ of October 22, 1813, stated that "The _Proclamation campaign_ has again commenced upon the Niagara frontiers" (p. 2-1). In the _Salem Gazette_ of December 3, 1813, appeared the following: "The same Collectors will be employed next winter to execute the same duties _in the Moon_, which, it is expected, will be 'looked down' during the next campaign!" (p. 3-2).

On August 16, 1812, Hull ignominiously gave up himself, his army, and Detroit, and incidentally enriched the language with a new verb. The surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, of Lincoln at Charleston, and of Cornwall's at Yorktown, had given rise to the words "Burgoynade," "to Burgoyne," "Lincolnade," and "Cornwallisade." The _Connecticut Courant_ of September 22, 1812, said: "Should Gen. Dearborn enter the territory, he ought, if he means not to be Hull'd, or defeated, to have 25 or 30,000 men" (p. 3-4). The _Military Monitor_ of October 5, 1812, quoted the following from the _Aurora_: "These facts show the absurdity of the idea of a force of 4,000 men marching to be Hull-ed, in a country where 19,000 of their countrymen were once before BURGOYNED" (I, 59). The _New Hampshire Gazette_ of April 20, 1813, remarked: "From every section of the union, we hear of the march of troops and active preparations to open the campaign on the northern frontier with vigor and unless our gallant army is again _Hulled_, the British flag will soon disappear from Canada" (p. 3-2). The _New York Herald_ of March 30, 1814, quoted the following from a Herkimer (New York) paper: "The prevailing opinion now is, that the campaign will be opened at Niagara; some suppose Detroit. If at the latter place, with the paltry force now marching in that direction, we shall most certainly get _Hull'd_" (p. 3-5).

[25] _Columbian Centinel_, December 16, 1812 (p. 2-2). The following is taken from the _Yankee_ (Boston) of December 18, 1812 (p. 3-2):

"_General Smyth_--again.

"How many Militia and Volunteers, with such Generals as _Hull_, _Smyth_, et cetera, will conquer Canada?

"A Yankee answer by another question--How many snow balls will heat an oven?"

In the _Columbian Centinel_ of December 23, 1812, appeared the following (p. 2-3):

"A letter from _Albany_, says, 'All the _Generals_ from _Canada_ are extremely mortified and crest-fallen. The boys at _Buffalo_ form themselves into groups, and sing the following altered stanza of _Yankee Doodle_:'--

"'_When_ SMYTHE _a_ Brag_adier had got,
He prov'd a darned coward--
He durst not go to_ Canada
_For fear of being devoured.
_Yankee doodle, doodle do--
Yankee doodle dandy--
Mind the_ back _step of the march--
And with your_ legs _be handy_.'"

[26] _Salem Gazette_, May 3, 1814 (p. 2-4). In the _Salem Gazette_ of November 25, 1813, appeared a paragraph headed "Braggardism! _Wilkinson's Glorious Expedition to Canada!_" (p. 2-2). The unsuccessful expedition into Canada gave rise to an epigram printed in the _Columbian Centinel_ of December 11, 1813:

"_Gen._ WILKINSON'S _late Expedition_.
WITH Conquest how his bosom burn'd!--
He _went_--he _saw_--and then--_return'd_."

[27] "Some of the _Wildcats_ of Congress," said the _Columbian Centinel_ of June 6, 1812, "have gone home, unable to incur the awful responsibility of unnecessary _War_" (p. 2-5).

[28] _Columbian Centinel_, October 23, 1813, p. 2-1; June 29, 1814, p. 2-3.

[29] _Columbian Centinel_, June 18, 1814, p. 2-3.

[30] _Columbian Centinel_, June 11, 1814, p. 2-4.

[31] _Columbian Centinel_, September 1, 1813, p. 2-1.

[32] Quoted in the supplement to the _Albany Gazette_ of November 19, 1812 (p. 1-1). The term was sometimes used attributively. Thus we hear of "the War-Hawk Government" (_Columbian Centinel_, September 28, 1814, p. 1-2); of "the war-hawk party" (_Portsmouth Oracle_, January 28, 1815, p. 3-2); of "the War-Hawk rulers" (_Columbian Centinel_, September 28, 1814, p. 1-2); and of "our War-Hawk Selectmen" (_Connecticut Courant_, August 16, 1814, p. 1-5).

[33] In a speech on the admission of the Territory of Orleans, delivered in Congress on January 14, 1811, Josiah Quincy declared it as his "deliberate opinion that, if this bill passes, ... it will be the duty of some" of the States "to prepare definitely for a separation--amicably, if they can; violently, if they must" (Speeches, 1874, p. 196). While this remark has become historic, it is almost invariably misquoted. In a speech made in Congress on January 8, 1813, Henry Clay, referring to Quincy, said: "The gentleman can not have forgotten his own sentiments, uttered even on the floor of this House, 'peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must'" (Works, 1897, V, 58). It is the Clay version that has become a familiar quotation.

In the _Boston Herald_ of November 23, 1904, appeared the following:

"In a signed article in the Huntsville, Ala., _Mercury_, R. T. Bentley, a well-known man, says:

"'It appearing that Theodore Roosevelt, the head and front of the republican party, which represents the dangerous policies of civilization, protective tariff, imperialism and social equality, has been elected president of the United States by a strictly sectional vote, and has established an insurmountable barrier between the north and south, I feel constrained to express my humble opinion, as a true and patriotic American citizen of the south, that if the republican party should continue its dangerous policies for the next 4 yrs. and should triumph in the next national election, that the 13 states which voted for A. B. Parker should secede from the union and by force of arms resist an oppression which means the early fall of our great republic.'"

At the present day such a statement merely excites amusement, as no one takes it seriously; but in 1812 it was different.

[34] _Aurora_, July 7, 1812, p. 2-2.

[35] _Portsmouth Oracle_, August 22, 1812, p. 4-1.

[36] _Aurora_, July 27, 1813.

[37] Caleb Strong was one of the twenty-eight "Barristers and Attornies at Law" who addressed Gage on July 1, 1774 (_Boston News-Letter_, July 7, 1774, p. 1-1). Those who addressed Gage on his departure in October, 1775, were of course loyalists; but the addresses to Gage on his arrival in 1774 were signed by both loyalists and ardent patriots. Perhaps no one received harder blows from his opponents in the war of 1812 than Strong. The following toast was given at Bernardston, Massachusetts: "The governor of Massachusetts. In 1774 the loyal addresser of Gage, in 1812 and 13 the eulogist and special pleader of the 'bulwark of our religion'" (_Aurora_, August 3, 1813, p. 1-3). At Pittsfield, Massachusetts: "Caleb Strong--The man, who by cunning concealment and tory prevarication, would endeavor to reason away the rights of his country, is unworthy of its confidence" (_Aurora_, July 22, 1813, p. 1). At Passyunk: "Execration to the hoary head traitorous vindicator of the barbarities of the monstrous government of England: His treason is only equal to his cowardice; 'England has done us no essential injury:' YOU LIE YOU V----" (_Aurora_, July 12, 1813, p. 2-5).

There is an expression in the last toast that has a familiar sound at the present day.

[38] _Aurora_, August 3, 1813, p. 1-3.

[39] _Aurora_, July 9, 1813, p. 2-4.

[40] _National Intelligencer_ (Washington), July 29, 1813, p. 1-3.

[41] _Military Monitor_, April 5, 1813, I, 254. The following amusing paragraph may be quoted here: "_Remarkable Incident._--On the 4th of July, 1812, General CHANDLER gave as a toast at _Augusta_:--'The 4th of July 1813--May WE on that day _drink wine within the walls of Quebec_!' On this same 4th of July he was within the walls of _Quebec_ (a prisoner) and from the known hospitality of the citizens of that place we have no doubt his wish was literally gratified" (_Columbian Centinel_, July 7, 1813, p. 2-4).

[42] _Columbian Centinel_, March 9, 1814, p. 2-2.

[43] _Columbian Centinel_, July 9, 1814, p. 1-5.

[44] _Bee_ (Hudson), July 12, 1814, p. 3-3.

[45] _Massachusetts Spy_, July 20, 1814, p. 3-2. It is curious to see how history repeats itself. Between 1898 and his death, President McKinley was sometimes alluded to as "William I." In the _Boston Herald_ of January 28, 1907, we read of "Kaiser Theodore," and in the same paper of November 11, 1907, of "Theodore I." Just as Monroe was alluded to in 1814 as "the heir apparent," so now the same term is applied to Secretary Taft. See _Nation_, August 22, 1907, LXXXV, 153; _Boston Herald_, November 6, 1907, p. 6-5; _Boston Evening Transcript_, December 2, 1907; _Boston Herald_, March 3, 1908, p. 6-3. Even the word "imperial" is not new to our politics. In the _New York Herald_ of May 5, 1813, it was satirically said that "the _bewilderification_ of the enemy, on beholding our imperial standard, baffles all description" (p. 2-4).

Two examples of the spreadeagleism of the times will prove amusing. The following toast was given at Waterville, Maine, on July 4, 1815: "_The Eagle of the United States_--'May she extend her wings from the _Atlantic_ to the _Pacific_; and fixing her talons on the _Isthmus of Darien_, stretch with her beak to the _Northern Pole_'" (_Salem Gazette_, July 18, 1815, p. 4-1). Capt. Ross Bird of the United States Army having been placed under arrest and bereft of his sword, he sent in his resignation, in part as follows: "In leaving the service, I am not abandoning the cause of republicanism, but yet hope to brandish the glittering steel in the field, and carve my way to a name which shall prove my country's neglect; and when this mortal part shall be closetted in the dust, and the soul shall wing its flight for the regions above, in passing by the palefaced moon, I shall hang my hat upon brilliant Mars, and make a report to each superlative star--and arriving at the portals of Heaven's high Chancery, shall demand of the attending Angel to be ushered into the presence of Washington" (_New York Herald_, November 10, 1813, p. 1-3).

[46] _New York Herald_, July 13, 1814, p. 1-1.

[47] Two may be specified. The following is taken from the _New York Herald_ of April 10, 1813: "_Fracas at Albany._--By the passengers in the Steam Boat we are informed, that a fracas took place in Albany last Wednesday [April 7], between Col. Peter B. Porter and John Lovett, Esq., occasioned by some publications which have been made relative to the affair between Col. S. Van Rensselaer and Col. Porter. It is said Col. Porter, after some high words had passed, attacked Mr. Lovett with a cane, on which Mr. Lovett closed in with him and was like to demolish him, when some of the by-standers interfered and put an end to the contest" (p. 3-2).

The other case, curiously enough, concerns a man of whom we shall hear later in connection with the alleged origin of Uncle Sam. In the _Albany Gazette_ of September 20, 1813, appeared this (p. 3-4):

"The following note has been handed to us by Mr. Butler--We do not intend to prejudge the cause of dispute by its insertion. The _Gazette_ will be freely open to Mr. Anderson.

"ELBERT ANDERSON, Jun. Contractor U. S. Army, is a base _Villain_, a _Liar_ and a _Coward_.

James BUTLER.

"18th _September_, 1813."

Anderson and Butler apparently had a hand to hand scrimmage at Plattsburgh, for in the _Albany Gazette_ of September 30, 1813, was printed a communication in part as follows (p. 3-3):

"_Albany_, 28th, _Sept._ 1813.

"Messrs. WEBSTERS and SKINNERS,

"A publication having appeared in your paper, during the absence of the Contractor, signed '_James Butler_,' a friend to the former gentleman, who was an eye witness to the fracas at Plattsburgh, requests you to publish the following statement from the _Plattsburgh Republican_, of the 18th inst....

"A rash man has applied to the Contractor for the Army, epithets of a libellous and scurrilous nature....

"_Plattsburgh, Sept. 15, 1813._"

So far as I have noted, the incident closed with the publication in the _Albany Gazette_ of October 4, 1813, of a card from Butler dated Lansingburgh, September 29, stating that the writer of the above letter was "an infamous liar" (p. 3-2).

[48] See _New Hampshire Gazette_, September 14, 21, 1813; _New York Herald_, August 25, 28, 1813; _Columbian Centinel_, December 25, 1813.

[49] _Massachusetts Spy_, December 22, 1813, p. 1-3.

[50] It will be remembered that until 1820 Maine was part of Massachusetts.

[51] Quoted in the _National Intelligencer_ (Washington), June 8, 1813, p. 2-3.

[52] I do not know what act is meant.

[53] Quoted in the _New York Herald_, October 2, 1813, p. 3-3. I have been unable to find a copy of the _Lansingburgh Gazette_ containing the extract.

[54] Quoted in the _Columbian Centinel_, October 9, 1813, p. 2-3.

[55] The words "more or less" apparently occurred in the official accounts of the capture of York in April, 1813, but I have not been able to discover in exactly what connection. At all events, they caused much fun in the peace papers. "One dead Indian, 'more or less,'" said the _New York Herald_ of July 14, 1813, p. 1-1. "_Wanted_," declared the _Columbian Centinel_ of December 4, 1813, "about five hundred ('more or less') able-bodied, stout-hearted _real Americans_, to collect our _land tax_ in our territory of Canada" (p. 2-3).

[56] Quoted in the _Connecticut Courant_, February 8, 1814, p. 3-2. The same passage is quoted in the _Massachusetts Spy_ of February 9, 1814, p. 2-3, and February 23, p. 4-3, except that in both instances the words "'Uncle Sam's' hard bargains" are omitted.

[57] Quoted in the _Salem Gazette_, February 14, 1814, p. 3-3. See p. 29, note 33, above.

[58] Quoted in the _New York Spectator_, May 7, 1814, p. 1-1. The passage was also printed in the _Massachusetts Spy_ of May 25, 1814, p. 3-3.

[59] Quoted in the _Portsmouth Oracle_, May 21, 1814, p. 2-5. The story of the wagon which started with forty bushels of corn, related by Timothy Pickering, was reprinted in the _Massachusetts Spy_ of May 25, 1814, p. 3-3, but "Uncle Sam" is omitted.

[60] Quoted in the _Columbian Centinel_, June 29, 1814, p. 2-1.

[61] Quoted in the _New York Herald_, November 16, 1814, p. 3-4.

[62] The story was reprinted in the _New York Herald_ of December 7, 1814, p. 2-3.

[63] Quoted in the _New York Herald_, December 21, 1814, p. 3-5.

[64] The extract was reprinted in the _Portsmouth Oracle_ of January 28, 1815, p. 3-2; and in the _Connecticut Courant_ of February 7, 1815, p. 3-1.

[65] Quoted in the _Salem Gazette_, January 21, 1815, p. 3-1; _Portsmouth Oracle_, February 4, p. 3-1; _Connecticut Courant_, February 7, p. 1-3.

[66] Supplement to _Niles' Register_, VII, 187. That volume ended with the issue of February 25, 1815.

[67] Supplement to _Niles' Register_, IX, 95. That volume ended with the issue of February 24, 1816. The _Albany Register_ of December 6, 1814, advertised a play, farce, and "Naval Pillar" to take place at the theatre the following evening "in honor of the memorable Naval Conflict on Lake Champlain, fought on the glorious Eleventh of September" (p. 3-4). The song in the text may have been written for that occasion, though it is not mentioned in the advertisement.

[68] See p. 33, above.

[69] There are constant allusions in the newspapers to Greenbush. The _Connecticut Courant_ of September 29, 1812, printed an extract dated Pittsfield, September 17: "_Democratic Economy._--Within a few days past, several waggon loads of _Vinegar_ and _Molasses_ have passed through this village, on the way from Boston to Greenbush, near Albany. These articles were purchased at Boston for the use of the troops at Greenbush. The vinegar cost the government Five Dollars per barrel, in Boston; and according to the statement of the teamsters, the expence of transportation would be much more than the first cost. Now we are told, and we believe correctly, that vinegar can be purchased in Albany at less than four dollars per barrel. And we presume that molasses can be bought in Albany and New-York, as cheap as in Boston.--Why, then, this enormous expence of transportation!--So goes the people's money!" (p. 2-5).

[70] As late as February, 1815, the editor of a Baltimore paper thought it necessary to explain the meaning of the term. See p. 38, note 66, above. The newspapers throughout the war literally swarm with allusions to John Bull, Yankee, Yankee Doodle, and Brother Jonathan. On the other hand, no allusion to Uncle Sam has yet been found before September, 1813, while from then until 1816 I have encountered less than thirty examples, all of which are quoted or cited in the present paper either in text or footnotes. This statement is based on an examination of newspapers published during 1812-1815 in Portsmouth, Salem, Boston, Worcester, Hartford, Troy, Albany, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington.

[71] As this tract of 142 pages is apparently rare, I give the title: "The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search after his lost Honor. By Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq., Member of the Legion of Honor, Scratch-etary to Uncle Sam, and Privy Counsellor to himself. Middletown: Printed by Seth Richards. 1816." It was copyrighted May 16, 1816.

[72] Jefferson.

[73] The Canadians.

[74] Henry A. Proctor, the British general.

[75] Adventures of Uncle Sam, pp. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 53, 96, 140.

[76] See p. 22, note 3, above.

[77] Letters from the South written during an Excursion in the Summer of 1816, (1817), II, 207, 208, 210.

[78] Memorable Days in America (1823), p. 126. See also pp. 99, 140, 162, 188, 215, 225, 262, 381.

[79] _Niles' Register_, XXI, 199. See also XXI, 38, 197.

[80] Sketches, p. 165. In her Southern Tour, published in 1831, Mrs. Royall wrote: "Besides the collector [at the custom house, New Orleans], they have ... 44 clerks, gaugers, inspectors, &c. Most of these were as shabby a set of gawks, as ever disgraced Uncle Sam" (p. 32).

[81] This singular expression, now obsolete or obsolescent, was common in the first half of the nineteenth century. It was originally the slang of the boatmen on the Mississippi and other Western rivers. See C. Schultz, Jr., Travels (1810), II, 145, 146. The _Salem Gazette_ of June 12, 1812, a few days before war was declared with England, printed the following: "Curious Terms of Defiance, New-Orleans April 24. '_Half horse half alligator_'--has hitherto been the boast of our up-country boatmen, when quarreling. The present season however has made a complete change. A few days ago two of them quarreled in a boat at Natchez, when one of them jumping ashore declared with a horrid oath that he was a _steamboat_. His opponent immediately followed him, swearing he was an _earthquake_ and would shake him to pieces--and in fact almost literally executed his threat." The _Salem Gazette_ added "It is these monsters of the western wilds that are forcing the people of the Atlantic shores into an unnecessary and ruinous war" (p. 4-1).

[82] _New York Mirror_, February 19, 1831, VIII, 260, 261. The indefatigable Paulding contributed to the _United States and Democratic Review_ for April, 1851, an article called "Uncle Sam and his 'B'hoys,'" from which the following is extracted: "Uncle Sam talks 'big' sometimes, like his old dad, Squire Bull, who was reckoned the greatest bragger of his day, till Uncle Sam grew up and disputed the point with him" (XXVIII, 299).

[83] Tour to the North and Down East, p. 202. Uncle Sam had previously figured in the Narrative of the Life of David Crockett (1834), p. 86.

[84] The Rambler in America, I, 160.

[85] Journal of a Residence and Tour in the United States, II, 301.

[86] Letters from the Frontiers (1868), p. 335. See also p. 354. This is the first use of the term by an army officer that I have noted.

[87] Bentley's Miscellany, IV, 43, 294.

[88] Diary in America, II, 42, 43.

[89] The Clockmaker; or the Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick, of Slickville, first appeared in the columns of the _Nova Scotian_ in 1835-1836, and was first published in book form at Halifax in 1837. In a conversation supposed to have taken place between Edward Everett and Sam Slick, the latter remarked: "Well, I don't know, said I, but somehow or another, I guess you'd found preaching the best speculation in the long run; them are Unitarians pay better than Uncle Sam (we call, said the Clockmaker, the American public Uncle Sam, as you can the British, John Bull)" (The Clockmaker, second edition, Concord, 1838, p. 43).

Mr. Robert G. Haliburton relates this anecdote of Judge Haliburton: "On his arrival in London, the son of Lord Abinger (the famous Sir James Scarlett) who was confined to his bed, asked him to call on his father, as there was a question which he would like to put to him. When he called, his Lordship said, 'I am convinced that there is a veritable Sam Slick in the flesh now selling clocks to the Bluenoses. Am I right?' 'No,' replied the Judge, 'there is no such person. He was a pure accident. I never intended to describe a Yankee clockmaker or Yankee dialect; but Sam Slick slipped into my book before I was aware of it, and once there he was there to stay'" (in Haliburton: a Centenary Chaplet, Toronto, 1897, pp. 25, 26).

[90] Book of the Navy, pp. 297, 298. The story occurs in the "Naval Anecdotes" in the Appendix. Some of the stories and songs in this Appendix appear in the Supplement to _Niles' Register_, 1816, IX; but the Wilson story is not there.

As an illustration of the extraordinary changes undergone in repetition, I give the story as it was printed in 1870 by Brewer in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: "Sam. _Uncle Sam._ The United States government. Mr. Frost tells us that the inspectors of Elbert Anderson's store on the Hudson were Ebenezer and his uncle Samuel Wilson, the latter of whom superintended in person the workmen, and went by the name of 'Uncle Sam.' The stores were marked E.A.--U.S. (_Elbert Anderson_, _United States_), and one of the employers being asked the meaning, said U. S. stood for 'Uncle Sam.' The joke took, and in the War of Independence the men carried it with them, and it became stereotyped" (p. 783).

Brewer goes on to say: "_To stand Sam._ To be made to pay the reckoning. This is an Americanism, and arose from the letters U. S. on the knapsacks of the soldiers. The government of Uncle Sam has to pay or 'stand Sam' for all. (_See above._)" In 1871 De Vere wrote: "In the army, it seems, even this designation [i. e. Uncle Sam] was deemed too full and formal, and, as early as the year 1827, it became a familiar saying among soldiers, to _stand Sam_, whenever drinks or refreshments of any kind had to be paid for. As they were accustomed to see _Uncle Sam_ pay for all their wants, to _stand Sam_, became to their minds equivalent to the ordinary slang phrase: to stand treat" (p. 251). In 1891 J. Maitland said: "Sam, 'to stand Sam' (Amer.), to stand treat" (American Slang Dictionary, p. 229). And in 1891 J. M. Dixon wrote: "Sam.--_To stand Sam_--to entertain friends; to pay for refreshments. U. Sam is a contraction for 'Uncle Sam,' a jocular name for the U. S. Government. The phrase, therefore, originally means to pay all expenses, as the Government does" (Dictionary of Idiomatic English Phrases, p. 282). Brewer's statement, having been adopted by several writers, requires consideration. As a matter of fact, not only is the phrase "to stand Sam"--meaning "to be answerable for," "to become surety for," "to pay the reckoning," or "to pay for the drinks,"--not an Americanism, but it has never, so far as I know, even been employed in this country. The words "Sam" and "Sammy" have been used in various senses in English dialects for a hundred and thirty years, an instance dated 1777 being recorded in the English Dialect Dictionary. To the examples of "upon my Sam," an expletive, quoted in the same work from Frank's Nine Days (1879), p. 12, and Zack's On Trial (1899), p. 220, may be added another from R. Marsh's Tom Ossington's Ghost (1900), p. 216. "Sammy," meaning "foolish, silly," was recognized as early as 1823 in Pierce Egan's edition of Grose's Classical Dictionary; and examples dated 1837 and 1843 are quoted in Farmer and Henley's Slang and its Analogues (1903). The expression "to stand Sam" or "to stand Sammy" is recognized in Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words (1847), in Wright's Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English (1857), in Hotten's Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859), in Barrère and Leland's Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant (1890), in Farmer and Henley's Slang and its Analogues (1903), and in the English Dialect Dictionary. "Landlady," wrote Moncrieff in 1823, "serve them with a glass of tape, all round; and I'll stand Sammy" (Tom and Jerry, III, 5). Besides this extract, Farmer and Henley quote others from Ainsworth's Rookwood (1834), Hindley's Cheap Jack (1876), Black's White Heather (1885), Henley's Villon's Good-Night (1887), Licensed Victuallers' _Gazette_ (1890), and Milliken's 'Arry Ballads (1890); and to these may be added others from _Punch_, August 20, 1881, LXXXI, 75, and from W. De Morgan's Joseph Vance (1906), p. 465. Every known example is from a British author.

During the ascendancy of the Know-Nothing party, however, the word "Sam" was used in this country for a brief period. "The allusion," wrote Farmer in 1889, "is to UNCLE SAM, the national sobriquet, the Know Nothings claiming that in a nation mostly made up of immigrants, only native-born citizens should possess and exercise privileges and powers" (Americanisms Old and New, p. 470). "The name," said H. F. Reddall in 1892, "contains, of course, an allusion to 'Uncle Sam,' the personification of the government of the United States" (Fact, Fancy, and Fable, p. 452). A few examples may be given. In a letter dated Randolph, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1855, a correspondent said: "I take it for granted that you are with us heart and hand in the new movement known as 'Know Somethings;' but I believe quite as readily recognized under the Yankee cognomen, 'Jonathan.' The order is fully organized in this State, and is progressing finely. All the secret organizations therefore of this character are blended, and _E. Pluribus Unum_. The 'Sams' are going over _en masse_, and although some of our election returns may be credited to Sam, yet I assure you that all candidates elect are the workmanship of Jonathan. Sam is dead! Plucked up by the roots! Buried in cotton!" (_Kansas Herald of Freedom_, August 4, 1855, p. 4-3). On February 28, 1856, Congressman Samuel Carruthers wrote: "I went twice (and but twice), into their [Know-Nothing] councils. I 'saw Sam.' It took two visits to see him all over. I made them. I saw enough and determined never to see his face again" (in H. J. Desmond's Know-Nothing Party, 1905, p. 82). In 1858 Governor Wise of Virginia wrote to a committee of the Tammany Society: "As to your other motto--'Civil and Religious Liberty'--ours was saved by the Virginia Democracy in 1855. We struck the dark lantern out of the hands of ineffable Sam, and none now are found so poor as 'hurrah!' for him" (_New York Tribune_, January 11, 1858, p. 2-6). In 1905 H. J. Desmond remarked: "Those inducted into the first degree do not appear to have been informed as to the name of the order. They were brought into 'the august presence of Sam.'... In Illinois the Know-Nothing order split into two factions, 'the Sams' insisting upon an anti-Catholic program and 'the Jonathans' proposing not to antagonize Catholics who owed no civil allegiance as distinguished from spiritual allegiance to the Pope. The Jonathans triumphed" (Know-Nothing Party, pp. 54, 103). Exactly what the Know-Nothings meant by "Sam" is not apparent from these extracts; but fortunately the question need not further detain us.

One more statement may be considered here. In 1882 A. S. Palmer remarked: "SAMBO, the ordinary nickname for a negro, often mistaken as a pet name formed from _Sam, Samuel_, ... is really borrowed from his Spanish appellation _zambo_,.... A connexion was sometimes imagined perhaps with _Uncle Sam_, a popular name for the United States" (Folk-Etymology, pp. 338, 339). It may be doubted whether any one has ever seriously advanced the notion that Sambo is formed from Sam or Samuel, or that there is a connection between Sambo and Uncle Sam. "This _Negre Sambo_ comes to me," wrote R. Ligon in 1657, "and seeing the needle wag, desired to know the reason of its stirring" (True & Exact History of the Island of Barbados, pp. 49, 50, 54). Before 1700 we read of "Sambo negro helping caring goods" (New England Historical and Genealogical Register, XXXIV, 98). In the _Boston News-Letter_ of October 2, 1704, an advertisement stated that "There is a Negro man taken up ... calls himself _Sambo_" (p. 2-2). In 1716 "Sambo a negro servant" was married to Hagar (New England Historical and Genealogical Register, XXXVIII, 27). In the _Boston Gazette_ of July 22, 1765, "a Negro Man named _Sambo_" was advertised as a runaway (p. 4-3). In the _Massachusetts Spy_ of February 17, 1813, we read: "The moan of the poor black man interrupted the sweet song of the mocking bird. We could not distinguish all the voices that rose from the field, but the ear caught a fragment of the poor negro's song:--The lash of the driver forced a scream of anguish that moment from Sambo, and we heard no more" (p. 4-2).

[91] Watson's version of 1844 is as follows: "While on this subject, it may be as well to give a passing notice of another national name just growing into common use--we mean the term '_Uncle Sam_,' which first came into use in the time of the last war with England; but the cause of its origin is still unknown to millions of our people.--The name grew out of the letters E. A.--U. S., marked upon the army provisions, barrelled up at Troy, for the contractor, Elbert Anderson, and implied the initials of his name, and U. S. for the United States. In happened that these provisions were inspected there by Samuel Wilson, usually called, among his hired men, '_Uncle Sam_.' One of his workmen, on being asked the meaning of the letters, E. A.--U.S., replied, archly, it meant Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam--(Wilson). The joke went round merrily among the men, some of whom going afterwards to the frontiers, and there partaking of the very provisions they had assisted to pack and mark, still adhered to calling it Uncle Sam; and as every thing else of the army appointments bore also the letters U. S., Uncle Sam became a ready name, first for all that appertained to the United States, and, finally, for the United States itself--a _cognomen_ which is as likely to be perpetuated, as that of John Bull for old England" (Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, II, 335).

Watson's version of 1846 differed slightly from the above: "_Uncle Sam_, is another national appellation applied to us, by ourselves, and which, as it is growing into popular use, and was first used at _Troy_, New York, it may be interesting to explain, to wit: The name grew out of the letters E. A. U. S. marked upon the army provisions, barrelled up at Troy, during the last war with England, under the contract of Elbert Anderson; and implied his name, and U. S. the United States. The inspector of those provisions, was Samuel Wilson, who was usually called by the people, _Uncle Sam_. It so happened that one of the workmen, being asked the meaning of the initials on the casks, &c., waggishly replied, they meant Elbert Anderson and _Uncle Sam_--Wilson. The joke took; and afterwards, when some of the same men were on the frontiers, and saw the same kind of provisions arriving to their use, they would jocosely say, here comes Uncle Sam. From thence it came to pass, that whenever they saw the initials U. S., on any class of stores, they were equally called Uncle Sam's; and finally, it came by an easy transition, to be applied to the United States itself" (Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State, p. 243).

The bibliography of Watson's books on Philadelphia and New York requires a note. In 1830 he published, in one volume, Annals of Philadelphia, being a Collection of Memoirs, Anecdotes & Incidents of the City and its Inhabitants from the Days of the Pilgrim Founders. (Collation: Title, 1 p.; Copyright, 1 p.; Advertisement, pp. iii, iv; Preface, pp. v-vii; Contents, pp. viii-xii; Annals of Philadelphia, pp. 1-740; Appendix: containing Olden Time Researches & Reminiscences, of New York City, pp. 1-78.) In 1832 he published Historic Tales of Olden Time: concerning the Early Settlement and Advancement of New York City and State. In 1833 he published Historic Tales of Olden Time, concerning the Early Settlement and Progress of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. In 1844 he published, in two volumes, Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, in the Olden Time; being a Collection of Memoirs, Anecdotes, and Incidents of the City and its Inhabitants, and of the Earliest Settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, from the Days of the Founders. This work was copyrighted in 1843, though the title page bears the date 1844. In the advertisement, which is dated July, 1842, Watson says: "The reader will please observe, that this work having been _closed in Manuscript_, in 1842, that therefore, all reference to any given number of years back, respecting things passed or done so many '_years ago_,' is to be understood as counting backward _from the year_ 1842" (p. xi). In 1846 he published Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State, in the Olden Time. In 1857 he published, in two volumes, Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, in the Olden Time. This edition contains some matter not in the 1844 edition. Finally, in 1877, Willis P. Hazard published, in three volumes, the Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the first two volumes being identical with the 1857 edition of Watson's work, the third volume an addition by Hazard. The Uncle Sam story first appeared in the 1844 edition of Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania (II, 335); and in the 1846 edition of Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State, in the Olden Time (p. 243), though the two accounts, as seen above, differ somewhat.

[92] In 1876 Mr. Weise gave the following account: "Among the well known citizens of Troy in 1812, was Samuel Wilson. Being one of the first settlers, and besides having a kind and benevolent disposition, he won the esteem and affection of everybody in the village, and was more generally designated as Uncle Sam than by his proper name. It is related that on one occasion his youngest son wandered away from home and was lost. A gentleman found him crying in a strange place, and asked him whose boy he was, and received for an answer, that he was Uncle Sam's boy. By this appellation the father was readily recognized and he was returned to his parents. During the military operations along the northern border in the war of 1812, Samuel and Ebenezer Wilson were engaged in an extensive slaughtering business, employing about one hundred men, and were slaughtering weekly more than one thousand head of cattle. During this year, he and his brother received a contract from Elbert Anderson, Jr., an army contractor, to supply the troops stationed at Greenbush with beef, 'packed in full bound barrels of white oak.' Samuel Wilson was also appointed at this time Inspector of beef for the army, and was accustomed in this line of duty to mark all the barrels of meat passing his inspection with the abbreviated title U. S. of the United States. In the army at the cantonment at Greenbush, there were a number of soldiers who had enlisted in Troy, and to whom 'Uncle Sam' and his business were well known. The beef received from Troy, they always alluded to as Uncle Sam's beef, and the other soldiers without any inquiry began to recognize the letters U. S. as the initial designation of Uncle Sam. A contractor from the northern lines strengthened this impression thereafter, when, purchasing a large quantity of beef in Troy, he advertised that he had received a supply of Uncle Sam's beef of a superior quality. The name 'Uncle Sam,' a few only knowing its derivation, became in a little while the recognized familiar designation of the United States, and is now as well known to the world as is the appellation John Bull" (History of the City of Troy, p. 91).

Mr. Weise's version of 1891, differing somewhat from the above, is as follows: "Among the contractors supplying the Army of the North with provisions was Elbert Anderson, jr., who, on October 1st, advertised in the Troy and Albany newspapers for proposals for 'two thousand barrels of prime pork and three hundred barrels of prime beef,' to be delivered to him in the months of January, February, March, and April, at Waterford, Troy, Albany, and New York. Ebenezer and Samuel Wilson, who were then extensively engaged in slaughtering cattle in the village, contracted to furnish him a quantity of beef 'packed in full-bound barrels of white oak.' From time to time they delivered it at the camp at Greenbush, where the soldiers from Troy designated it as 'Uncle Sam's,' implying that it was furnished by Samuel Wilson, whom they and other people of the village were accustomed to call 'Uncle Sam.' The other recruits, thinking that the term was applied to the letters U. S., stamped upon the barrels by the government inspector of beef, began using the appellation 'Uncle Sam' figuratively for the United States, in the same way that the name 'John Bull' is used to designate the English nation" (Troy's One Hundred Years, p. 76).

Mr. Weise also gave the story in his City of Troy and its Vicinity (1886), p. 321.