NOV 5: 303 Santee Condemnded to Death

Henry H. Sibley. (Credit: Minnesota Historical Society)

On November 5, 1862, 303 Santee Sioux in Minnesota are sentenced to hang by a commission of U.S. military officers, convened by Henry H. Sibley. They were charged with the rape and murder of white settlers in the Dakota War. Another 16 are given prison terms.

After personally reviewing records of the trial, President Abraham Lincoln pares the list of condemned men down to 38. An estimated 4,000 spectators turned out to watch their executions in Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862.