This photograph of new recruits exercising with their weapons is among the images of North American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War on view in an exhibit opening March 28 at Jonathan Edwards College.

Exhibit documents volunteers' role in Spanish Civil War

In a tribute to the Americans who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Ernest Hemingway wrote: "The dead sleep cold in Spain tonight. Snow blows through the olive groves, sifting against the tree roots. Snow drifts over the mounds with small headboards. (When there was time for headboards.) ... For our dead are a part of the earth of Spain now and the earth of Spain can never die. Each winter it will seem to die and each spring it will come alive again. Our dead will live with it forever. ..." Over 40,000 volunteers from 52 countries flocked to Spain between 1936 and 1939 to take part in the historic struggle between democracy and fascism known as the Spanish Civil War. Images of the North Americans who fought as part of the International Brigades are featured in a new exhibition opening on Thursday, March 28, at Jonathan Edwards College (JE). Titled "The Aura of the Cause: A Photo Album of North American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War," the show was organized by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA), a nonprofit national organization devoted to preserving and disseminating information about the American role in the Spanish Civil War. Cary Nelson, the Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where the ALBA is housed, is the curator of the show, which will be on view through May 28. Considered by some scholars as the opening battle of World War II, the Spanish Civil War was sparked when the country's conservative parties revolted against the democratically elected progressive coalition government. Just when it seemed the rebels' cause was lost, Europe's fascist dictators -- Adolf Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italy and Antonio Salazar in Portugal -- offered them military assistance. Led by General Francisco Franco, the fascist-supported forces eventually prevailed. Five brigades of international volunteers fought on behalf of the democratically elected Republican (or Loyalist) government. Most of the North American volunteers served in the unit known as the 15th brigade, which included the Abraham Lincoln battalion, the George Washington battalion and the (largely Canadian) Mackenzie-Papineau battalion. All told, about 2,800 Americans, 1,250 Canadians and 800 Cubans served in the International Brigades. Over 80 of the U.S. volunteers were African-American. In fact, the Lincoln Battalion was headed by Oliver Law, an African-American from Chicago, until he died in battle. "It was the first time in American history that an integrated military force was led by an African-American officer," writes Nelson in the exhibit catalogue. Photography played an important role in bringing news about the Spanish Civil War to the world, notes Nelson. "[T]he Spanish Civil War began at almost exactly the point when photo journalism became a mass phenomenon," he writes, noting the technical improvements in cameras and film after World War I "had made a new sort of documentary photograph possible." The images in the exhibit show members of the International Brigades "going about the daily business of trying to save the world," writes Nelson. The photographs include scenes from the training camps and battlefields, as well as portraits of individual soldiers and nurses. "The portraits show them as they were -- earnest, serious, hopeful and often very young," Nelson says, adding, "They were politically committed and endlessly interested in contemporary events. They were also less nationalists than world citizens. ... In a way, they had become what many of us now, more than half a century later, can only aspire to -- being members of a world community. ..." Gary and Sondra Haller, JE's master and associate master, will mark the opening of "The Aura of the Cause" on Thursday, March 28, with a tea titled "How I Came to Work on the Spanish Civil War: A Conversation with Cary Nelson." It will take place at 4 p.m. in the master's house, 70 High St. A reception will follow 5:30-7 p.m. Also in conjunction with the exhibit, there will be an evening of songs of the Spanish Civil War, titled "Pasiones," at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 19, in the JE common room. The works were written and adapted by Michael Smith and Jamie O'Reilly, who will also perform the pieces. "The Aura of the Cause: A Photo Album of North American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War" is cosponsored by the Jonathan Edwards Trust, The Bates Fund and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The exhibit is open to the public most Thursdays 4-6 p.m., or visitors can make an appointment by calling (203) 432-0356. 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