Robert Hale Merriman

Early years

Merriman was born in Eureka, California, the son of a lumberjack. He grew up in Santa Cruz, and graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1925. He worked various odd jobs in order to make his way through the University of Nevada. To earn some extra money at school, he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) where he received basic training with arms.

In 1932, he wed Frances Marion Stone, three years his junior. That same year he returned to California as a doctoral student in economics at the University of California, Berkeley and worked as a teaching assistant. Fascinated by Stalinism and the emerging economics in the Soviet Union, Merriman earned a scholarship to study for one year in Moscow along with his wife. There he became interested in the anti-fascist movement and left before his year was up to move to Spain while his wife stayed in Moscow, where she was working. Unlike most Americans involved with the Spanish cause, the Merrimans were not communists. According to his wife, Merriman was convinced that defeating the fascists in Spain and then Germany would prevent a second World War.

Spain

A member of left-wing groups at the University of California and friend of Robert Oppenheimer, he was chosen to lead the volunteers in Spain. As few volunteers had any military experience, Merriman's ROTC experience meant he took over the training of the 428-man strong Lincoln Battalion and, in late January, he became battalion commander. He held the rank of Captain of the Spanish Republic.

The Lincoln Battalion first saw action at the Battle of Jarama (6–27 February). They were one of the four battalions comprising the XV International Brigade. Their role was to prevent Nationalist forces taking the main Madrid-Valencia road. The Lincolns took appalling casualties, particularly in the assault of Pingarrón, which became known as Suicide Hill. Merriman himself was seriously wounded and spent time as Chief of XV Brigade Staff. His place as battalion commander was taken by Martin Hourihan (a US Army veteran).

Merriman, who suffered a severe arm injury, was joined by his wife in Spain, where she nursed him back to health and also joined the International Brigades at their training camp in Albacete.

The depleted Lincolns next went into action at the Battle of Brunete. Together with the depleted British Battalion, and an understrength second US battalion (the George Washington Battalion, commanded by African-American Oliver Law), they formed one regiment of the XV International Brigade. Of the 2,500 men of the XV who went into battle, only 1,000 effective soldiers remained.

Death

Merriman led the battalion again during the Battle of Teruel in Aragon. Under heavy attack by Nationalist tanks and aircraft, the battalion was forced to retreat in the only available direction, Catalonia and its boundary, the river Ebro. On April 2, 1938, around the vineyards of Corbera d'Ebre, near the key city of Gandesa, 20 kilometres (12 mi) kilometers before the river, Merriman and his lieutenant, Edgar James Cody, were either killed in action or captured and executed some hours later.

For some time, his family was led to believe he was safe as conflicting reports were received. His wife had returned to the United States in January, and had originally planned to return to Spain, but never heard from him after March. On April 13, there was news that he had "miraculously escaped death or capture." She eventually came to believe he was killed in the retreat.

His widow later remarried and had three children. She worked at Stanford University and in 1986 published a memoir, American Commander in Spain.

Legacy

The battalion, now commanded by Milton Wolff, returned to the same ground during the Battle of the Ebro on 26 July of the same year, while trying to recapture Gandesa.

The 6'4" Merriman is believed to be have been the inspiration for Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls Merriman and Hemingway briefly met in Madrid, and Hemingway was "deeply impressed" with the young idealist.