Antedating Uncle Sam (1812)

[Loiterstein, David]

Regarding this first OED citation for "Uncle Sam, the government (or
people) of the United States of America" --

1813 Troy Post 7 Sept. (Matthews), Loss upon loss, and no ill luck
stir[r]ing but what lights upon Uncle Sam's shoulders.

My Readex colleague Jim Walsh has found this 1812 use of "Uncle Sam" in
a newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont--about 30 miles from Troy,
New York:

"The conscripts from this town, amounting to about 40, have been
dismissed and sent home, sickness, has made bad work among us--according
to the best information I have been able to obtain, about one half of
us, are, or have been sick, 3 or 4 are dead.  Several are left behind,
and not heard from.  The expence to this town, or more properly to the
unfortunate individuals who were drafted, cannot be less than from two
to three thousand dollars, exclusive of the expence to the U. States of
pay, clothing, rations &c. Now Mr. Editor--pray if you can inform me,
what single solitary good thing will, or can acrue to (Uncle Sam.) the
U.S. for all the expence, marching and countermarching, pain, sickness,
death &c among us?...A CONSCRIPT."

-- Bennington News-Letter, December 23, 1812, Vol. II, Issue 38; page 3
(America's Historical Newspapers)

I'd be happy to send an image of the full item and/or full page to
anyone interested.

David

David G. Loiterstein
Marketing Director
Readex, A Division of NewsBank
phone: 203.421.0152
e-mail: dloiterstein at readex.com
www.readex.com

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