Civil War Union Naval Officer. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 6, 1833, he was the son of Captain Henry A. Adams, who was Commodore Matthew C. Perry's second-in-command during his famous 1853 Expedition to Japan. He entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1849, and graduated in 1851. He rose in the ranks in the 1850s, receiving promotions to Passed Midshipman on June 12, 1855, Master on September 16, 1855 and Lieutenant on May 11, 1856. In 1855, while part of the officer compliment of the sloop "USS Levant", he participated in the engagement Chinese forts at the mouth of the Canton River in China. Prior to the Civil War he was assigned to the "USS Brooklyn" which after the war commenced became part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron under Admiral David G. Farragut. He was on board the "Brooklyn" as it made a daring run past the Forts St. Philip and Jackson as they defended New Orleans on April 24, 1862, which helped facilitate the capture of that city. Promoted to Lieutenant Commander in July 1862, he would go on to participate in the joint Army-Naval operations against Fort Fisher, North Carolina in December 1864 and January 1865 that resulted in the capture of the last Confederate coastal stronghold. His performance drew the praise of Admiral David D. Porter, naval commander of the expedition. A few months later he found himself near Richmond, Virginia as that city finally fell to Union forces, and he was part of the party that escorted President Abraham Lincoln as he visited the captured Confederate capital. His post-war career saw him promoted to Commander on July 25, 1866, and to Captain on March 28, 1877. He served in the European Squadron before seeing duty at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. On January 13, 1877 he was given command of the famous warship "USS Constitution", helming her until August 15, 1877. He died on active duty of malaria while commanding the "USS Hartford" at Montevideo, Uruguay on February 1, 1878.