An Exact View of the Late Battle at Charlestown, June 17th, 1775

This rare colonial era American print depicts a conflict often called the Battle of Bunker Hill. The action took place on the Charlestown Peninsula, north of Boston Harbor, and pitted 2,400 British troops (colored here in red) commanded by General William Howe against 1,500 American soldiers (colored here in blue) led by Generals Artemas Ward and Israel Putnam. A glimpse of Boston appears at far right, across the river from Charlestown which burned during the battle. Born in the Netherlands, Romans trained in England as a surveyor, cartographer and engraver then travelled to Florida in the seventeen-fifties to draw and engrave natural history subjects and maps for the British market. He joined the patriots during the Revolution and fought in the conflict shown here. A panoramic composition, combined with precise details and schematic arrangement of troops, demonstrates the artist’s experience as a mapmaker. A numbered key in the upper margin identifies key sites and participants.