The first combined operation of the Civil War was the capture of Hatteras Inlet. This inlet was used by Confederate gunboats and privateer merchantmen sailing around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

This week, while trying to identify prints in our collection that showed dghasa, a beautiful little craft native to Malta, I stumbled across a really interesting watercolor painted by Nicolas Cammillieri. The artwork is titled “H.M. Sloop Parthian Capturing a Spanish Pirate.” The computer record didn’t contain any information about the event depicted but I figured there must be an interesting story behind the artwork–and I was right!

We offer several innovative, educational, and fun programs designed to assist scouts in completing many of the requirements for individual badges. 

High-resolution digital images are available for print and electronic publications, educational programs, research, commercial television, and personal use. Reproductions of specific items in the Collection are also available as high-quality giclée reproductions.