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Show Uncle Sam's Name. Like many other popular customs, the general acceptance of the name "Uncle Sam" Is traceable to a small incident. in-cident. The occurrence is just 100 years old, and is associated with Troy, Nv Y., where, after the war-of 1812, SBlbert Anderson, an army contractor, purchased a quantity, of provisions. if.'if the official provision inspectors :.CaimjrK Wilson, who, becauso of h!popu:urr.i' wan generally referred flo as "ITtielo Bam Wllaon." The' boxes, of provisions were stamped E. A. U. S., the first two being be-ing the initials of Elbert Anderson and tho last two the usual abbreviation abbrevia-tion for United States. When one of the men engaged in the work of transferring trans-ferring the boxes was asked one day what the letters stood for, he replied, jokingly, that they stood for Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam, meaning Wilson. The remark "caught on," and after being communicated from point to point in army circles spread over the country. |