Quixotic Calling

The US volunteers who fought for the Republic during the Spanish Civil War were of diverse backgrounds. Large numbers came from the laboring class and immigrant families. The Great Depression took a toll on these people with alarming rates of divorce, the abandonment of children to reformatories or foster institutions, and law breaking. To these people, Spain was an extension of US social struggles centered on union organizing, picket line violence, and unemployment councils. White-collar occupations were represented by schoolteachers, office clerks, journalists, and college instructors. A few volunteers traced their lineage to the early Colonial era and sprang from the privileged or professional classes, sporting Ivy League pedigrees. Although all regions of the United States contributed, northeastern urban areas pulled heaviest, with New York City accounting for 18 percent of the inductees. As for commonalities, these stood out: The Americans were relatively young and had scant military experience. Robert Merriman occupied greater status than most Americans in Spain. At the time of his death (April 1938), he held the rank of major and responsibility as chief of staff for the 15th Brigade.