b. 11/10/1871 Haverhill, Massachusetts. d. 06/01/1921 New York.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 13/07/1900 Tientsin, China.
John M Adams MOH
Adams was born on Oct. 11, 1871, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, under a different name: George Lawrence Day. He attended high school at Phillips Exeter Academy, a selective boarding school. When he was 23, he joined the Marine Corps under his birth name but eventually switched to the alias John Mapes Adams. Adams was a seasoned Marine with Company F, 1st Marines Regiment, by the time his actions earned him the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Tientsin during China’s Boxer Rebellion.
During this engagement, Adams and three other Marines were cited for “meritorious conduct,” which led to Adams earning the Medal of Honor. However, it’s unclear exactly what those specific actions were. Eventually, the allied forces made it to Peking, and the fighting came to an end. A formal peace treaty known as the Boxer Protocol was signed in September 1901.
Thirty-three enlisted Marines earned the Medal of Honor for actions taken during the Boxer Rebellion. Marine Corps officers weren’t eligible to earn it until 1913. Adams’ received his medal on July 19, 1901, shortly before he turned 30. Adams lived for nearly two more decades. He died at age 49 on Jan. 6, 1921, and was buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
MOH CITATION:
In the presence of the enemy during the battle near Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900, Adams distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.
BURIAL LOCATION: CYPRESS HILLS NATIONAL CEMETERY, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.
SECTION 2 GRAVE 8262
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
