This 22¢ water-activated stamp is based on the 22¢ self-adhesive Uncle Sam stamp issued in 1998. The Origin of Uncle Sam The inspiration for Uncle Sam is generally considered to be Sam Wilson, a meat packer in Troy, New York. During the War of 1812, Wilson was responsible for shipping rations to soldiers. All packages were required to carry the initials of the contractor (in this case, Elbert Anderson) and the country they came from (the United States). The rations Wilson mailed bore the letters E.A. and U.S. Most of what Wilson sent went to Greenbush, NY, where many soldiers from Troy were stationed. The men who received the rations knew Samuel Wilson and his nickname, “Uncle Sam.” When asked where the rations came from these men responded “Uncle Sam.” The joke caught on with other soldiers and soon the name was being used interchangeably with the United States. Then on September 7, 1813, the Troy Post published an article on the war that included an early printed use of Uncle Sam to represent the United States. The article stated, “Loss upon loss, and no ill luck stir[r]ing but what lights upon Uncle Sam’s* shoulders, exclaim the Government editors in every part of the country… * This cant name for our government has got almost as current as ‘John Bull.’ The letters U.S. on the government waggons, &c., are supposed to have given rise to it.” Two weeks later, another newspaper in Burlington, Vermont sent out a call for volunteers to protect private property from attacking British troops. The article said that there was a shortage of enlisted men because “Uncle Sam, the now popular explication of the U.S. does not pay well.”