Oliver
Law
was
born in Texas in
1899. He served in the United
States Army during the First
World War. After six years in the forces he left to work in a
cement factory. He later moved to Chicago
where he drove a taxi, worked as a stevedore and ran a small restaurant.
During
the Great
Depression Law
joined the Communist
Party and
became active in the unemployment movement. This
included the organization of the International Unemployment Day demonstration
on 6th March 1930. During the demonstration Law, Joe
Dallet, Steve
Nelson
and eleven other activists
were arrested and badly beaten by the police. Two weeks after the
beatings Law had recovered sufficiently to march with 75,000 demonstrators
to demand unemployment insurance.
Law
also helped to organize mass protests against Benito
Mussolini
and
the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
In 1936 Law joined the
Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that
volunteered to fight for the Popular Front
government during the Spanish
Civil War. Law
arrived in Spain in January 1937 and joined
the other International Brigades
at Albacete.
After failing to take Madrid
by frontal assault General
Francisco
Franco gave orders
for the road that linked the city to the rest of Republican Spain
to be cut. A Nationalist force of 40,000 men, including men from the
Army of Africa, crossed the Jarama
River on 11th February, 1937.
General José
Miaja sent three
International Brigades to the Jarama
Valley to block the advance. Law first saw action on 27th February.
He performed so well in the battle he was promoted to commander of
the machine-gun company. A few weeks later he became battalion commander.
It was the first
time in American history that an integrated military force was led
by an African-American officer.
On 6th July 1937, the Popular
Front government launched a major offensive in an attempt to relieve
the threat to Madrid. General Vicente
Rojo 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.
Fighting in hot summer
weather, the Internationals suffered heavy losses. Oliver
Law was killed
on 9th July when he was leading his men in an attack against Mosquito
Ridge.
After the war, an anti-Communist,
William Herrick, claimed that Law had been murdered by his own men
who objected to being led by a black man. This claim has been dismissed
by Harry Fisher, the battalion runner, who took part in the offensive:
"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." David Smith,
the medic who attempted to staunch the bleeding with a coagulant,
also confirmed that he had been killed by the Nationalists.
Paul
Robeson attempted
to get a film made on the life of Law. Robeson later complained "the
same money interests that block every effort to help Spain, control
the Motion Picture industry, and so refuse to allow such a story."
Paul
Robeson speaking to
members of the
Abraham Lincoln Battalion in Madrid
in 1938.
(1)
Oliver Law, interviewed by a reporter after the offensive at Jarama
River (February, 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.
(2)
Steve Nelson explained why Oliver Law
was promoted to company commander when he was interviewed by Peter
N. Carroll on 9th June 1990.
The
idea was that we do something about advancing a black. But the thing
that mattered most was that he had military experience. Law was the
guy who had the most experience and was the most acquainted with military
procedures on the staff.
(3)
Canute Frankson, member of the Abraham
Lincoln Battalion, letter from Albacete
(6th July, 1937)
I'm
sure that by this time you are still waiting for a detailed explanation
of what has this international struggle to do with my being here.
Since this is a war between whites who for centuries have held us
in slavery, and have heaped every kind of insult and abuse upon us,
segregated and Jim-crowed us; why I, a Negro who have fought through
these years for the rights of my people, am here in Spain today?
Because we are no longer
an isolated minority group fighting hopelessly against an immense
giant. Because, my dear, we have joined with, and become an active
part of, a great progressive force, on whose shoulders rests the responsibility
of saving human civilization from the planned destruction of a small
group of degenerates gone mad in their lust for power. Because if
we crush Fascism here we'll save our people in America, and in other
parts of the world from the vicious persecution, wholesale imprisonment,
and slaughter which the Jewish people suffered and are suffering under
Hitler's Fascist heels.
All we have to do is to
think of the lynching of our people. We can but look back at the pages
of American history stained with the blood of Negroes; stink with
the burning bodies of our people hanging from trees; bitter with the
groans of our tortured loved ones from whose living bodies ears, fingers,
toes have been cut for souvenirs - living bodies into which red-hot
pokers have been thrust. All because of a hate created in the minds
of men and women by their masters who keep us all under their heels
while they suck our blood, while they live in their bed of ease by
exploiting us.
(4)
Eslanda
Goode
diary entries while in Spain visiting the
International
Brigades in
January 1938.
Monday
31st January: We had a good talk over lunch and afterwards over coffee
in the lounge, and then we went off to the border. Fernando, in civilian
dress, accompanied us, and Lt. K., armed in full uniform, was our
official escort.
As we drove along, Lt.
K. got talking and told us the story of Oliver Law. It seems he was
a Negro - about 33 - who was a former army man from Chicago. He had
risen to be a corporal in the US Army. Quiet, dark brown, dignified,
strongly built. All the men liked him. He began here as a corporal,
soon rose to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and finally was commander
of the Battalion - the Lincoln-Washington Battalion. Lt. K. said warmly
that many officers and men here in Spain considered him the best battalion
commander in Spain. The men all liked him, trusted him, respected
him and served him with confidence and willingly.
Lt. K. tells of an incident
when the battalion was visited by an old Colonel, Southern, of the
US Army. He said to Law - 'Er, I see you are in a Captain's uniform?'
Law replied with dignity, 'Yes, I am, because I am a Captain. In America,
in your army, I could only rise as high as corporal, but here people
feel differently about race and I can rise according to my worth,
not according to my color!' Whereupon the Colonel hemmed and hawed
and finally came out with: 'I'm sure your
people must be proud of you, my boy.' 'Yes,' said Law. 'I'm sure they
are!'
Lt. K. says that Law rose
from rank to rank on sheer merit. He kept up the morale of his men.
He always had a big smile when they won their objectives and an encouraging
smile when they lost. He never said very much.
Law led his men in charge
after charge at Brunete, and was finally wounded seriously by a sniper.
Lt. K. brought him in from the field and loaded him onto a stretcher
when he found how seriously wounded he was. Lt. K. and another soldier
were carrying him up the hill to the first aid
camp.
On the way up the hill
another sniper shot Law, on the stretcher; the sniper's
bullet landed in his groin and he began to lose blood rapidly. They
did what they could to stop the blood, hurriedly putting down the
stretcher. But in a few minutes the loss of blood was so great that
Law died.
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