Abraham Lincoln Brigade
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The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was an organization of United States volunteers supporting or fighting for the anti-fascist Spanish Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War as part of the International Brigade.
The name "brigade" is something of a misnomer, as there were several American battalions organized under the Fifteenth International Brigade of the Spanish Republican army. This brigade was loosely organized by the Comintern and was made up of volunteers from nations around the globe. The George Washington Battalion, Abraham Lincoln Battalion, John Brown Anti-Aircraft Battery were part of the American contingent. Other U.S. volunteers served with the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (Canadian), the Regiment de Tren (transport) and in various medical groups. The name Abraham Lincoln Brigade was used to include all the U.S. volunteers, regardless of which unit they served with.
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was made up of volunteers from all walks of American life, and from all socio-economic classes. However, many of the people who volunteered for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade were official members of the Communist Party USA or affiliated with other socialist or anarchist organizations. The IWW, or "Wobblies", a labor union formed in the U.S., was lightly represented. It is generally -- though incorrectly -- regarded as the first American military unit (though not part of the United States Armed Forces) to be commanded by an African-American officer, Oliver Law. It was also the first unit of Americans who fought against fascism.
American volunteers began organizing and arriving in Spain in 1936. Centered in the town of Figueras, near the French border, the Brigade was organized in 1937 and trained by Robert Merriman. The Lincolns suffered from poor training and inept leaders, including both Merriman and Law, who were selected for command primarily for political reasons. The battalion only had one capable commander, Steve Nelson, who took command too late to turn it into a truly effective combat unit.
By early 1937, its numbers had swelled from an initial 96 volunteers to around 450 members. In February 1937 the European powers comprising the League of Nations Non-Intervention Committee banned foreign national volunteers.
The International Brigade was used by the Loyalist army for several battles in Spain. They unsuccessfully defended the supply road between Valencia and Madrid in the Jarama Valley from February 1937 until June 1937. They were also present at the battles of Brunete, Zaragoza, Belchite, and Teruel.
The Brigade was a cause célèbre in some circles in the United States. Some liberal and socialist groups organized fund-raising activities and supply drives to keep the Brigade afloat. News of the Brigade's high casualty rate and bravery in battle made them romantic figures to some Americans concerned about the rise of Fascism around the world.
The war dragged on and the Natinalist forces, supported by Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy, gained victory after victory over the increasingly Communist-dominated Spanish Republic. The International Brigade was withdrawn from battle by the Spanish prime minister in spring of 1938. Most of the surviving Lincolns were repatriated promptly afterwards, and were welcomed home as heroes by radicals, but viewed suspiciously by most Americans.
In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, members of the Brigade were castigated as supporters of the Soviet Union. During and following World War II, particularly at the height of the "Red Scare", the U.S. government considered former members of the Brigade security risks.
The claim that the government branded the American volunteers "premature anti-fascists" cannot be substantiated; the phrase seems to have been coined by ALB veterans as a bitter comment about the treatment they received.
The U.S. volunteers of the International Brigades adopted the song "Jarama Valley" as their anthem, which used the tune of the famous western song, "Red River Valley", but with new lyrics. [1] The song was also translated into Catalan.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- An essay on the Lincolns
- The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archive
- Some Men Put Up Their Lives
- Columbia Historical Review Dutch Involvement in the Spanish Civil War
- List of Abraham Lincoln Brigade Volunteers New York University Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
[edit] Further reading
- Brandt, Joe (Ed.). Black Americans In The Spanish People's War Against Fascism 1936-1939. NY: Veterans Abraham Lincoln Brigade, no date, ca, 1979. 63 pages.
- Eby,Cecil. Between the Bullet and the Lie: American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,1969)
