A striped racer, also known as the California whipsnake, is a species of non-venomous snake native to the coast and foothills of California. It is a long, slender, and fast-moving snake, identified by its distinctive stripes running down the length of its body. They primarily feed on lizards and small rodents. The scientific name for this species is Masticophis lateralis.
Forlorn hope
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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
Forlorn hope meaning & definition 1 of Forlorn hope.