1862 Mankato mass execution — the full case file

Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley orders creation of a military commission to try Dakota men. On December 26, 1862, the U.S. government executed 38 Dakota men by hanging in Mankato, Minnesota, following rushed military commission trials after the Dakota War of 1862, in what remains the largest single-day mass execution in American history. On September 28, 1862, Military commission trials of Dakota men begin. On November 3, 1862, Trials conclude; military commission has tried 392 Dakota men. On November 7, 1862, Military commission announces 307 Dakota prisoners sentenced to death; Sibley confirms all but four sentences. On November 10, 1862, Maj. Gen. John Pope informs President Lincoln of the sentences by telegraph. On December 11, 1862, Lincoln addresses the Senate, announcing he has ordered 39 executions and commuted 264 sentences. On December 23, 1862, Lincoln suspends the execution of Tatemima (Round Wind), reducing the number condemned to 38. On December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men are publicly hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, guarded by 2,000 troops. In January 1864, Little Six and Medicine Bottle are captured near Fort Pembina after fleeing to the Red River Colony. In November 1865, Little Six and Medicine Bottle are tried and hanged at Fort Snelling. In 1912, a monument to the hangings is erected. In 1971, the 1912 monument is removed amid protests. In 1998, Mayo Clinic returns identifiable Dakota remains, including those of Maȟpiya Akan Nažiŋ, for reburial under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The case is recorded as solved. This case file is kept in memory of Maȟpiya Akan Nažiŋ (Cut Nose). The full sourced case file, with every fact cited, is at casepin dot org.

Transcript from the video’s narration track. For every source, open the case file.