Bernard Romans

Born in the Netherlands, Bernard Romans trained in England before arriving in the American colonies around 1757. He initially gained fame as a naturalist and surveyor, mapping the wilderness and coastlines of Florida.When the Revolutionary War erupted, Romans fiercely championed the American cause. In 1775, he published the first American-printed map of the conflict, Map of the Seat of Civil War in America, dedicating it to John Hancock. He then joined the Continental Army as a military engineer, designing vital fortifications along the Hudson River. Captured by the British in 1780 and held as a prisoner of war, Romans tragically died at sea shortly after his release.