Step 1 : Introduction to the question ""Uncle Sam" was based on Samuel Wilson, who, during the War of 1812, was a what?"
The term Uncle Sam is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for United States, but soldiers began referring to the food as “Uncle Sam’s.” A local newspaper picked up on the story and Uncle Sam gained widespread acceptance as the nickname for the U.S. federal government. Political cartoonist Thomas Nast began popularizing the image of Uncle Sam giving him the white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that are associated with the character today.