This Day in History – Dec. 26, 1862: 38 Dakota Men Executed by Order of Abraham Lincoln

This Day in History: Dec. 26, 1862 —Most commonly revered as the United States President who freed the slaves, Abraham Lincoln is known for something different in Indian Country. On this day 160 years ago, 38 Dakota men were hanged following orders from Lincoln in the largest mass-hanging in U.S. history. Often erased from history, the men’s hangings were direct consequences of the U.S. and Dakota War of 1862.