Early life
John Mapes Adams was born George Lawrence Day on October 11 1871 in Haverhill, Massachusetts .  Little is known about his family, but surviving records show he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a prestigious college‑preparatory school .  When he was 23, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps under his birth name .  For reasons that remain unclear, Day later served under the alias John Mapes Adams and used this name during his military career .  Such aliases were not uncommon among turn‑of‑the‑century servicemen and may have been adopted to avoid confusion with family members or to create a new identity.
Military service and the Boxer Rebellion
By 1899 the anti‑foreign Boxer Rebellion had erupted in China.  An international alliance of eight nations—including the United States—deployed forces to protect foreign legations in Peking (Beijing) and to relieve besieged civilians .  Adams, then a sergeant in Company F, 1st Regiment of Marines, was among the Marines sent to Tientsin (now Tianjin) .  On 13 July 1900, during an assault on the city, Adams and three other Marines were cited for “meritorious conduct.”  The battle included intense street fighting and a successful Japanese night assault that broke Chinese defenses .  While the exact details of Adams’s actions are not described in surviving records, his bravery was significant enough to earn the Medal of Honor, which he received on July 19 1901 .
After the Boxer Rebellion, Adams continued serving with the Marine Corps.  The Navy Memorial’s Navy Log notes that he later served with Company C at the U.S. Naval Station in Cavite, Philippines, and with Company D, First Battalion, First Regiment on the Isthmus of Panama .  The same source records that he re‑enlisted in Panama on October 11 1902 and that by May 1903 he had been promoted to gunnery sergeant .
Later life and death
Adams served nearly 27 years in the Marine Corps.  After returning from overseas assignments, he eventually settled in New York.  He died on January 6 1921 at age 49 .  The U.S. Department of War notes that he is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn .  His grave marker lists him under the name John Mapes Adams.  Due to the alias he used during his service, some historical records refer to him by his birth name, George Lawrence Day; nevertheless, the Medal of Honor citation and cemetery marker both carry the name John Mapes Adams .
Legacy
Although Adams’s Medal of Honor citation is brief—stating only that he “distinguished himself by meritorious conduct” in the presence of the enemy during the Battle of Tientsin —his bravery earned him a place among the earliest Marine Corps Medal‑of‑Honor recipients.  Historians note that 33 enlisted Marines received the medal for actions during the Boxer Rebellion .  Adams remains one of the few Medal‑of‑Honor recipients interred in New York City.  His story illustrates the global reach of the United States military at the turn of the 20th century and provides students with a window into the little‑studied Boxer Rebellion.  The alias he adopted adds an element of mystery that invites further research into his motives and personal history.


John Adams is listed as Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/cypresshills.asp.

(Boxer Rebellion). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for actions near Tientsin, China, July 13, 1900. His alias was George Lawrence Day, and he was stationed in China, the Philippine Islands, and Panama. Adams died in 1921.   

https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2272453/medal-of-honor-monday-marine-corps-sgt-john-mapes-adams/

*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events.


Portrait of Medal of Honor recipient John Mapes Adams from a full page 30 Jan 1921 Boston, MA Globe newspaper biography written shortly after his death.

Portrait of Medal of Honor recipient John Mapes Adams

JOHN M ADAMS

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