Researchers Identify Scottish Sailor Killed in War of 1812
Historians and researchers identified the remains of William Adamson, a Scottish sailor killed in 1814, leading to a commemorative ceremony in Connecticut.
Local history enthusiasts and researchers identified the remains of William Adamson, a Scottish quarter gunner on the H.M.S. Terror who was killed during a War of 1812 skirmish. Adamson died on August 13, 1814, after American militiamen ambushed a British boat in Fishers Island Sound. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Packer Cemetery in Mystic, Connecticut.
Jon Fuller first marked the grave as unknown around 2019. Subsequently, Grace Cleere and genealogist Roger Hutchins utilized British Admiralty records from the National Archives in London to confirm Adamson's identity. Hutchins also located a sixth-generation descendant, Claudia Chagnon, residing in Virginia.
In August 2026, hundreds of people, including Chagnon and officials from the Naval Submarine Base New London, gathered at Packer Cemetery for a ceremony to honor Adamson with a new plaque. During the event, Brian LeGare, the executive officer of the Naval Submarine Base New London, addressed the deceased sailor, stating, "Shipmate, after 212 years, you are unknown no more."
