What the dickens? Which Adams Was It?

Char Gardner gave a talk this past Monday to a full house clarifying a century's old confusion regarding which Adams ship was scuttled during the battle of Hampden. It turns out over the years similar ships with similar names launched three days apart in 1799 -- the USS Adams and the USS John Adams. Char clarified the details for us with loads of independent research and precise sources, including the US Navy. She took us from the Penobscot Expedition to the Battle of Hampden and in between. She concluded her talk by adding a third "John Adams" ship into the mix which is the subject of a painting done by a member of Washington's Life Guard, Rev. war soldier Seth Sturtevant. Stay tuned for more of her research in the future.