Other Noteworthy Collections

As a museum exploring history and culture in all its forms, the many objects, artworks and artifacts in NMAAHC’s collections can often fall into more than one thematic category. At the same time, there are collections of special meaning that we invite you to examine. These collections are noteworthy for a variety of reasons – their historical significance, their part of a recent exhibition, or even those that have been featured in the news media. You’ll find some of them in these pages, including some video selections.

Photo: The 9th Regiment was mustered in New Orleans under the command of Colonel Charles J. Crane between June 18 and July 16, 1898. Tropical disease had decimated the regular troops serving in the Spanish-American War. Colored troops, referred to as "Immunes," because of the misguided belief that they were immune to tropical disease, were sent to replace them. The 9th arrived in Cuba on August 22, 1898 where they served for almost a year and a half. By the time they were mustered out of service in 1899, they had lost 3 officers and 73 enlisted men to malaria and other tropical diseases.