Oliver Law
International Brigade. | |
| Rank | Commander |
|---|---|
| Commands held | Commander of the Lincoln Battalion |
| Spouse(s) | Corrine Booker Light-foot |
Oliver Law (October 23, 1900 – July 9, 1937) was an African-American communist and labor organizer, who fought for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. He was the commander of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion for several days and commander of its Machine Gun Company for much longer.[1][2]
Background
Born in west
Law worked with
Law was married to Corrine Booker Light-foot, mother of the regional
Spanish Civil War
In 1936 Law joined the
After failing to take
The experienced battalion commander Martin Hourihan recognized Law's abilities and wanted to send him to officer's training school. When Hourihan became ill, Law was chosen to replace him temporarily. After Houridan transferred permanently to the regimental staff, the choice of battalion commander was between Law and Walter Garland, who was still recovering from wounds, and Law was chosen and led the Abraham Lincoln Battalion in the first days of the Battle of Brunete. At the beginning of July the Popular Front government launched a major attack to relieve the threat to Madrid. General Vicente Rojo Lluch sent the Republican Army to Brunete, challenging Nationalist control of the western approaches to the capital. The 80,000 Republican soldiers made good early progress, but they were brought to a halt when General Francisco Franco brought up his reserves.
The Internationals also suffered heavy losses. Oliver Law was killed on July 9, leading his men in an attack on Mosquito Crest (Mosquito Hill).[3]
References
- ^ "Volunteers". Oliver Law. 10 December 2019.
- ^ Graham, Helen. (2005). The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. Oxford. p. 45
- ^ Beevor, Antony. (2006). The battle for Spain. The spanish civil war, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. p.280
External links
- Eslanda Goode Robeson's diary excerpt of Oliver Law's story, as told by "K"
- Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives
- African Americans in the Spanish Civil War
- "Paul Robeson, The Spanish Civil War and the Oliver Law film that never was"
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
