Romans' sympathies with the Revolution had developed before his book was published. He had appeared before the Boston Marine Society on December 1, 1773, and was in the city when the Boston Tea Party occurred. In his book, Romans described tea as "a despicable weed, and of late attempted to be made a dirty conduit, to lead a stream of oppressions into these happy regions." In early April 1775, Romans was appointed a captain by the Connecticut Committee of Safety, with a charge to take Fort Ticonderoga and nearby British fortifications. He was given £100 with which to raise troops. Within a few days, Romans had over 200 men with him. While Benedict Arnold and Nathanael Greene took command of the large body of troops headed for Fort Ticonderoga, Romans' company was sent to capture Fort George on Lake George, a neglected post which surrendered without a fight. Romans went on to Ticonderoga, where he helped assess the ammunition that had been captured. Benedict Arnold reported favorably on Romans as an engineer after this service.