World History
Oliver Law. The Spanish Civil War drew combatants from all over the world. International brigades were formed by men from a variety of nations to fight on the side of Republican forces. One of these brigades was the Abraham Lincoln Battalion which was composed of American volunteers. The battalion is believed to be the first American military unit to be racially-integrated and was at one point commanded by Oliver Law, who may have been the first black man to lead white American combat troops.
Oliver Law was born in 1899 in Texas. He served in the American Army during World War One. He joined the Communist Party USA during the Great Depression and became an activist on labor issues.
Wikipedia notes, "Strongly opposed to Fascism, he led demonstrations against Italy's occupation of Ethiopia (Second Italo-Abyssinian War), and in 1936 he travelled to Spain to join the forces fighting against Francisco Franco and the Nationalists. An outstanding soldier with considerable military experience, he served in a machine gun company and soon became the commander of the battalion. It was the first time that an African American commanded white American troops."
The blogged site reports this quote from Oliver Law after the offensive at Jarama River in 1937,"We came to wipe out the fascists. Some of us must die doing that job. But we'll do it here in Spain, maybe stopping fascism in the United States, too, without a great battle there. "
Law is one of those men who died in the doomed Republican cause. He died on July 9th, 1937 attacking Mosquito Ridge in combat near Madrid. Harry Fisher, the battalion runner reported, "He was the first man over the top. He was in the furthest position when he was hit by a Fascist bullet in the chest."
Oliver Law fought on the losing side of a civil war far from his home expressing a belief in a cause (communism) that would fail to take root in the USA. Despite this, he remains an interesting historical note. It does indeed appear that he was the first black man to lead whites into combat in an American military unit. I am surprised no one has a made a movie about this guy yet. (Or maybe someone has and I am just not aware of it.)
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World History
Oliver Law
Oliver Law. The Spanish Civil War drew combatants from all over the world. International brigades were formed by men from a variety of nations to fight on the side of Republican forces. One of these brigades was the Abraham Lincoln Battalion which was composed of American volunteers. The battalion is believed to be the first American military unit to be racially-integrated and was at one point commanded by Oliver Law, who may have been the first black man to lead white American combat troops.Oliver Law was born in 1899 in Texas. He served in the American Army during World War One. He joined the Communist Party USA during the Great Depression and became an activist on labor issues.
Wikipedia notes, "Strongly opposed to Fascism, he led demonstrations against Italy's occupation of Ethiopia (Second Italo-Abyssinian War), and in 1936 he travelled to Spain to join the forces fighting against Francisco Franco and the Nationalists. An outstanding soldier with considerable military experience, he served in a machine gun company and soon became the commander of the battalion. It was the first time that an African American commanded white American troops."
The blogged site reports this quote from Oliver Law after the offensive at Jarama River in 1937,"We came to wipe out the fascists. Some of us must die doing that job. But we'll do it here in Spain, maybe stopping fascism in the United States, too, without a great battle there. "
Law is one of those men who died in the doomed Republican cause. He died on July 9th, 1937 attacking Mosquito Ridge in combat near Madrid. Harry Fisher, the battalion runner reported, "He was the first man over the top. He was in the furthest position when he was hit by a Fascist bullet in the chest."
Oliver Law fought on the losing side of a civil war far from his home expressing a belief in a cause (communism) that would fail to take root in the USA. Despite this, he remains an interesting historical note. It does indeed appear that he was the first black man to lead whites into combat in an American military unit. I am surprised no one has a made a movie about this guy yet. (Or maybe someone has and I am just not aware of it.)
- Pro-union Southerners
I was surprised to read about the 1st Alabama Cavalry today. This unit was from the deep south and it fought for the Union during the American Civil War. I had no idea that such a unit ever existed! Reading further, I discovered that large portions of...
- The Capture Of Guam
The Capture of Guam. This is an account by Patrick McSherry of the bloodless conquest of Guam by the United States from Spain during the Spanish-American War. It is interesting to note that the small Spanish force garrisoned on the island were not even...
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- Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant. This is a good biography and overview of the life of the American Civil War General and President. From the site: Ulysses Simpson Grant ( April 27 , 1822 - July 23 , 1885 ) was an American Civil War General and the 18th ( 1869...
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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