The Levy Collection has "Whiskey in the Jug," 1858.
In the 1850's the song was very popular in the music halls and it was about this time (c. 1840-1850) that the nonsense chorus developed. See related threads linked above. Most of the broadsides with the chorus were printed in Scotland and England (cod-Irish, as Malcolm Douglas calls it).
A Glasgow broadside of 1850 (4th ed.) stated that the song was a nightly favorite in the Glasgow saloons, as "proverbial in the minds of the youth of Glasgow as 'Jim Crow.' (posted in thread 3116).

Older versions- Sporting Hero, Patrick Flemming, Whiskey in the Bar, etc.

Older versions of the song (see threads) did not have the chorus.
As for the soldiers, another version has 'two marines,' I don't think any locale was mentioned.

Whiskey in the Jug-
http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/display.pl?record=099.044.000&pages=4