When was Samuel Wilson considered a famous American symbol?

Samuel Wilson, often associated with the iconic symbol of "Uncle Sam," became a famous American symbol during the War of 1812. He was a meat packer from Troy, New York, and the U.S. Army used his shipments of beef, which were stamped with "U.S." for "United States," leading soldiers to jokingly refer to him as "Uncle Sam." This association solidified in popular culture, and by the 1860s, Uncle Sam was widely recognized as a national personification of the United States.