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| - The Lincolns suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Jarama. On February 27, 1937 the unit lost two-thirds of its strength including their commander, Robert Hale Merriman (who was badly wounded), in a futile assault on Nationalist positions. The battalion remained in the lines and was slowly rebuilt while maintaining its front-line trenches. The unit was pulled out of the lines for a brief rest before the offensive at Brunete. Joined by the newly trained George Washington Battalion, the XVth Brigade went into action at Villanueva de la Cañada on the second day of the Brunete Offensive and secured the town after hard fighting, the Washington's attacking the north end of the village, while the British and Dimitrov battalions attacked from the south. The XVth Brigade then deployed against "Mosquito Ridge", but despite repeated assaults they were unable to dislodge the Nationalist troops holding that key piece of terrain. The Lincoln's commander Oliver Law was killed during this action. The XVth Brigade sustained heavy losses, and due to the high rate of casualties the Lincoln and Washington Battalions were merged. Thereafter the unit was officially known as the Lincoln-Washington Battalion, though it was more commonly referred to as the Lincoln Battalion. During August, September and October the Lincoln-Washington Battalion fought in a series of battles in the Aragon Offensive. The Lincoln-Washington Battalion fought well at both Quinto and Belchite. The engagement at Quinto was a combined arms action as the Lincoln-Washington Battalion was led into their second assault on the town by T-26 tanks. Belchite was a severe test for the Lincoln-Washington Battalion, where they fought house to house and took heavy casualties. After Belchite the XVth Brigade was reorganized. The newly formed Canadian MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion joined the brigade and the veteran Dimitrov Battalion departed. A majority of the volunteers in the "Mac-Paps" were actually Americans. On October 13, 1937 the XVth Brigade fought at Fuentes de Ebro. Men from the brigade's 24th (Spanish) Battalion rode Russian tanks in the attack. The remaining battalions were supposed to follow the tanks. The original plan of attack fell apart as the tanks did not coordinate their advance with the infantry. Casualties were especially heavy in the 24th and MacKenzie-Papineau Battalions. After Fuentes the XVth Brigade was pulled back to a reserve position where the Lincoln-Washington Battalion received its first extended period of rest and relaxation since going into combat at Jarama. In late December the Lincoln-Washington Battalion was alerted for service at Teruel. The winter of 1938 was among the coldest on record and many troops suffered frostbite injuries during the campaign. The XVth Brigade was deployed to hold the recently captured city of Teruel against the expected Nationalist counterattack. The Lincoln-Washington's initially held positions overlooking Teruel that they called the North Pole. Later they moved down into the city. During January the Nationalists launched coordinated attacks against the Republican defenses in and around Teruel. The XVth Brigade's British Battalion and MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion lost an entire company each attempting to hold the territory. Nationalist weight of numbers and material eventually pushed the XVth Brigade back. The XV BDE, including the Lincoln-Washington Battalion, were pulled out of the line for rest after three weeks in the lines. Before the units could get to their rest areas, their trains and trucks were stopped and they were called back to the front. They participated in an offensive that was expected to relieve some of the pressure on Teruel. In a daring dawn attack the XVth Brigade attacked a series of Nationalist fortifications at Segura de los Baños. While the attack was a success, the Nationalist forces did not transfer any forces away from Teruel. March 1938 found the Lincoln-Washington Battalion in reserve positions in Aragon. Their rest proved short lived as the XVth Brigade was swept up in the disaster known as The Retreats. Nationalist forces punched through the Republican lines and drove to the sea cutting the Republic in two. The Lincoln-Washington Battalion was dispersed, reformed and dispersed again in a confused series of holding actions and retreats. The Lincoln-Washington Battalion lost most of its personnel killed, captured or missing. Robert Merriman and Dave Doran, two of the highest ranking American officers in the XVth Brigade were presumed captured and executed. Nationalist forces normally executed all international prisoners. The remnants of the Battalion gathered on the far side of the Ebro River where they were slowly reconstituted with a limited number of international volunteers from the hospitals and rear areas. Spanish troops, many young conscripts, were drafted into the XVth Brigade's battalions to bring them fully up to strength. Spanish troops were integrated into the Lincoln Battalion as early as Jarama. As the flow of volunteers decreased from North America Spanish companies were added to the international battalions. After the Retreats Spanish troops were integrated across the battalions and comprised the majority of the XVth Brigade's strength in its last action. In July 1938 the rebuilt Lincoln-Washington Battalion participated in the Ebro Offensive. The XVth Brigade crossed the Ebro and rapidly advanced through territory they had retreated through in March and April. Nationalist forces quickly rallied and the offensive stalled. Republican forces moved over to the defensive contesting every square mile captured in the offensive. The XVth Brigade fought a series of bitter defensive actions. The International Brigades were withdrawn from battle by the Spanish prime minister Juan Negrín, in the vain hope that the Nationalists would withdraw their German and Italian Troops in turn. Surviving Americans from across Spain were sent to Ripoll where the International Red Cross and the US government verified their nationality before repatriating them. Many were able to participate in the Farewell activities including the march in Barcelona where the International Brigades were officially disbanded. Most American volunteers returned to the US between December 1938 and January 1939. American POWs were released after the fall of the Republican government, though the last POWs did not arrive in the United States until September 1939. The Brigade was a cause célèbre in some liberal and socialist circles in the United States. The Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (FALB), assisted by many other groups, conducted fundraising activities and supply drives to support the Americans in Spain. News of the brigade's high casualty rate and bravery in battle made them heroic figures to Americans opposing the rise of fascism.
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