Tansy, like you I clicked on this thread thinking I'd found a song about the Forlorn Hope of the Donner party. It was a group of 15 members of the party, at the time known to the others as "the snowshoers" as they had scrabbled together some snowshoes. The designation "Forlorn Hope" was applied to them later. All five women in the Forlorn Hope survived but only 2 of the 10 men. I have "Ordeal By Hunger", but I don't consider it the best book on the Donner Party (though it's certainly worth reading). My favorite account is that by Bernard DeVoto in his book "1846: The Year of Decision." I also recommend "The Donner Party Chronicles," by Frank Mullen, Jr.,which is a day-to-day account with lots of photos, drawings, maps, etc. Also worth a read is "The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party," by Marian Calabro which pays special attention to the children and teenagers who made up about half of the 81 people who were trapped by the snows.

I've never heard of any songs about the Donner Party, though there probably are some. I'd be surprised if there weren't. Does the song above refer to any particular event, time or Irish Brigade, or is it just a general patriotic song?

Reiver 2