DESCRIPTION:
David Rovics sings on HMS President, London, England for Rattansi & Ridley, Sky Channel 515.
World Tour - see www.davidrovics.com for dates
MAY
27 LONDON (without Attila), 8 pm, Acoustic Insurgency, The Grosvenor, 17 Sidney Rd. SW9
28 PORTSMOUTH (with Bemis, but without Attila) The Cellars
Eastney, 56 Cromwell Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire

The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was made up of volunteers from all walks of American life, and from all classes. 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, such as the Uruguayan Hugo Fernández Artucio.[citation needed] Members of the Industrial Workers of the World ("Wobblies") were also represented. It is sometimes thought to be the first American military unit to be commanded by a black officer, Oliver Law.[1]
American volunteers began organizing and arriving in Spain in 1936. Centered in the town of Figueres, near the border with France, the brigade was organized in 1937 and trained by Robert Hale 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.