forlorn hope

A band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high. The term is from Dutch, roughly translated as "lost troop". While the Donner Party was trapped in the mountains, a team of the fifteen strongest immigrants (five women, nine men, and a boy of twelve) set out on December 16, 1846, to find help, using makeshift snowshoes made by an old farmer, Franklin Graves. Later known as the "Forlorn Hope", the group consisted of: *Luis and Salvador (19, 28), Miwok guides, murdered for food. *Antonio (23), a teamster, died *Patrick Dolan (35), died *William Foster (31), survived *Sarah Murphy-Foster (20), survived; she and William lost their toddler, Jeremiah (2.5) *Harriet Murphy-Pike (18), survived; lost her baby, Catherine *Lemuel Murphy (12), died despite his sisters; his mother, Levina (37), and brother, John (17), also lost *William Eddy (28), survived; lost his wife, Eleanor (25), and both children, James and Margaret (3, 1) *Franklin Graves (57), died; his wife, Elizabeth (46), and three youngest children, Jonathan, little Franklin, and little Elizabeth (7, 5, 1), were lost. *Mary Graves (20), survived *Sarah Graves-Fosdick (22), survived *Jay Fosdick (23), died *Amanda McCutchen (23), survived; lost her baby, Harriet *Charles Stanton (30), died