Executed
Name not reported
On December 26, 1862, the federal government hanged thirty-eight members of the Dakota people in Minnesota, which the Death Penalty Information Center describes as the largest mass hanging in United States history. Of 303 people originally sentenced to death, President Lincoln stayed the executions of all but these thirty-eight. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that some of those executed were later found to have been victims of mistaken identity.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: federal government.