150 years ago the Civil War was raging and the United States was far from united. 1862 had been a rough year for President Abraham Lincoln. The Union Army was in retreat, losing battles and making strategic blunders. Lincoln had a lot on his plate.
Then something awful happened in Minnesota. An Indian uprising occurred. Hundreds of white settlers were killed. When the smoke cleared and many of the rebellious braves had been captured there was great demand being made for a swift and terrible justice to be executed.
President Lincoln was given a list of over 300 Dakota warriors who had been given death sentences. It was up to Lincoln to decide who would live and who should die. This is a fascinating and tragic story that would
probably be better known if had not occurred at the height of the Civil War. Scott W. Berg digs into the historical documents and reveals what happened in "38 Nooses - Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End."
