Who is this?

[AussieMick]

He was a Civil War fighter.

(Point and Left Click to enlarge)

   

[RJNorton]

No idea - Ralph Abernathy?

[AussieMick]

Good first guess, Roger. There are similarities and not just in appearance.

This person was a Republican and literally fought in Civil War but not for the North.

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The manner of his death is disputed. I had never heard of him until today. ... of course other members may know of him.

If I say where he died .... giving it away, perhaps. Lets say the location has literary links to John Donne and "Winston Smith".

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He set a precedent. .... but nobody repeated it until decades later.

[AussieMick]

Most that know his story consider him to be a hero. ... others think he died as a result of "fragging " before it was called that.

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Paul Robeson thought that Hollywood should have made a film about this man.

[AussieMick]

Civil War is a big clue.

[RJNorton]

Robert Smalls?

[AussieMick]

No, sorry Roger (and thanks for having a go ... ).

This man was born in 1900. Yep, 1900.

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The area of his death has literary links, "No man is an island" and "Winston Smith", and
two authors (one US and one English) went there.

They went there for the same reason as this man.

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If you can get the location ... you should be able to get why its a question on this Forum ... and maybe even lead you to the man's name.

I'll put a 'better' photo up in a moment. It may though then become too "easy".

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Those 2 Literary associations with that land? Eric Blair "ring a bell" ?

[L Verge]

(01-10-2020 05:13 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  No, sorry Roger (and thanks for having a go ... ).

This man was born in 1900. Yep, 1900.

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The area of his death has literary links, "No man is an island" and "Winston Smith", and
two authors (one US and one English) went there.

They went there for the same reason as this man.

---

If you can get the location ... you should be able to get why its a question on this Forum ... and maybe even lead you to the man's name.

I'll put a 'better' photo up in a moment. It may though then become too "easy".

---

Those 2 Literary associations with that land? Eric Blair "ring a bell" ?

Being a child of the Vietnam War generation, I remember a scandal about fragging -U.S. soldiers deliberately killing superior officers by throwing grenades. Can't make any other association, however, and being born in 1900 would make this man kinda old during Vietnam.

[AussieMick]

True, Laurie, he's too old for Vietnam (and Korean 'Civil' War ) and was born too late for the US Civil War ... born 1900 , died in 1937.

(Nobody gets another photo until I get another attempt or at least a comment, so there)

[Rob Wick]

Obviously, he was part of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. From that point on I'm still stumped.

After some more research, I am guessing Oliver Law.

Best
Rob

[AussieMick]

Rob !! Well done, mate!

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Ok ... my 'clues' explained :-

Eric Blair was George Orwell's real name. Apart from writing "1984" ( main character Winston Smith) he fought in the Spanish Civil War. As did Hemingway who wrote 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' (title taken from John Donne's poem).

All 3, Orwell Hemingway and Oliver Law, fought with the Republicans (mainly Communists but also Anarchists) against the fascists of Franco. But the Communists (IMO) were not given much aid by Stalin .... in fact he ended up by splintering the Republican side and (IMO) they began killing each other especially if they didnt 100% support Moscow.

Law was given command of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (made of volunteers from the US). He was the first ever black man to have command of white troops. There may well have been some jealousy ... there may have been some feeling that he'd been favored by politically correct seniors who wanted to show that blacks are as good as white ... he may have made some mistakes as commander ( hey ... show me a commander that didnt) ... there may have been some who wanted him dead.

He died during a military action.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Law


https://blackfilmcenterarchive.wordpress...never-was/


http://www.albavolunteer.org/2010/06/ana...liver-law/    

[L Verge]

(01-11-2020 01:38 AM)AussieMick Wrote:  Rob !! Well done, mate!

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Ok ... my 'clues' explained :-

Eric Blair was George Orwell's real name. Apart from writing "1984" ( main character Winston Smith) he fought in the Spanish Civil War. As did Hemingway who wrote 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' (title taken from John Donne's poem).

All 3, Orwell Hemingway and Oliver Law, fought with the Republicans (mainly Communists but also Anarchists) against the fascists of Franco. But the Communists (IMO) were not given much aid by Stalin .... in fact he ended up by splintering the Republican side and (IMO) they began killing each other especially if they didnt 100% support Moscow.

Law was given command of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (made of volunteers from the US). He was the first ever black man to have command of white troops. There may well have been some jealousy ... there may have been some feeling that he'd been favored by politically correct seniors who wanted to show that blacks are as good as white ... he may have made some mistakes as commander ( hey ... show me a commander that didnt) ... there may have been some who wanted him dead.

He died during a military action.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Law


https://blackfilmcenterarchive.wordpress...never-was/


http://www.albavolunteer.org/2010/06/ana...liver-law/

Thank you for the eye-opener. I knew that George Orwell was a nom de plume for Eric Blair, but that's as far as the brain went. With Black History Month coming up in the U.S., I will add this to my warehouse of things to make me look smart.

[Craig Hipkins]

If you want to read a good book on the Spanish Civil War read George Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia”
I read it back in 1997 in one night!

[Steve]

(01-11-2020 01:38 AM)AussieMick Wrote:  Law was given command of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (made of volunteers from the US). He was the first ever black man to have command of white troops.

That's not quite true. During the 1916-17 Mexican expedition, Maj./Lt. Col. Charles Young had some white soldiers under his command. When it looked like the U.S. would soon enter World War I, Gen. Pershing put Lt. Col. Young on his list of best performing officers during the expedition deserving of a brigade command. However, a white officer who served under Young in Mexico wrote to his senator in Mississippi complaining about serving under a "colored commander". The senator then complained to Pres. Wilson who basically had Young's career ended because his segregationist policies couldn't abide by that.

Here's a really good article about Col. Young which appeared in Military History Magazine in 2013 that I would highly recommend reading:

https://www.militarytimes.com/military-h...k-colonel/

(A little thing to add to Laurie's warehouse!)

[AussieMick]

Thanks, Steve. I got my initial guidance from "The Spanish Civil War - A Very Short Introduction" by Helen Graham. She writes ' Oliver Law, the black commander of the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade, was killed at the battle of Brunete in July 1937. He was the first military commander in US history to lead a unit of troops that was not segregated along racial lines.'

I can see I should have used those exact words. I see in the article you posted it states Charles Young was 'Assigned to the predominantly black 9th U.S. Cavalry'. So, I assume, the white man that complained to his senator was presumably one of the few whites under Young's command.

Another reference for Laurie's warehouse from that book about the Spanish Civil War.....

Salaria Kea was the only African American nurse working in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaria_Kea

(She was born in Milledgeville Georgia where author Flannery O'Connor lived ... I only mention that because I think O'Connor is the greatest short story writer ever ...

"After her arrival in Spain, Kea helped establish a field hospital at Villa Paz near the Spanish capital Madrid. She was captured by the Spanish Nationalist Army but managed to escape with the help of International Brigade soldiers after being held for six weeks. In Villa Paz, Kea met an injured Irish soldier, John Patrick O’Reilly, whom she later married. In early 1938, Kea was transferred to different units in Aragon, Lerida and Barcelona and was herself injured in a Nationalist bombing raid. Her wounds were so severe that she was sent back to the United States in May 1938. "

Kea ... another person that they could make a real tear-jerker film about?