Dark times in Minnesota history (my home state despite now living in Texas), but note the absence of objectivity regarding why there was an execution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_Uprising
"While a fight had broken out in Spirit Lake, Iowa in 1857, most histories trace the beginning of the conflict to the killing of five whites by four young Dakota men on August 17, 1862. The Dakota men had been hunting but ended up stealing food from the settlement of Acton in Meeker County. This event caused an uproar among the Santee Sioux living on the reservation, and some warriors convinced a reluctant Chief Little Crow to lead further attacks.
The next day on August 18, he led a group that attacked numerous white settlers at the Lower Sioux Agency. Trader Andrew Myrick was among the first that was killed. He was discovered trying to escape through a second-floor window. Days later, Myrick's body was found—with grass stuffed into his mouth. The stores were taken and several buildings at the site were torched, though this provided enough delay for many people to escape across the river at Redwood Ferry. An initial Minnesota militia force that was sent to suppress the uprising only resulted in a massacre of Minnesota troops in the Battle of Redwood Ferry. At least 44 deaths occurred that day.
Confident with their initial success, the Sioux would continue on their rampage attacking the white settlement of New Ulm on August 19. Dakota warriors decided not to attack the heavily-defended Fort Ridgely along the river, instead turning toward the town and killing many white settlers along the way. By the time New Ulm was attacked, residents had organized defenses in the town center and kept the Dakota at bay.
The military compound Fort Ridgely was later attacked on August 22 (See Battle of Fort Ridgely). White settlers sustained fairly heavy casualties in both cases. Farther north, the Sioux launched several attacks on Fort Abercrombie which were also repelled by the white defenders. There were also raids on farms and small settlements, plus attacks by settsers against the Indians. However, further counterattacks by Minnesota troops resulted in another massacre of white soldiers at Birch Coulee on September 2.
The Battle of Birch Coulee began when a large group of Dakota attacked a detachment of 150 U.S. soldiers at Birch Coulee, 16 miles from Fort Ridgely. The detachment had been sent out to find survivors, bury the dead, and report on the location of Dakota fighters. A three-hour firefight began with an early morning assault. Twenty soldiers were killed and 60 wounded. There are no accounts of Dakota casualties. A column of 240 soldiers from Fort Ridgely relieved the detachment at Birch Coulee that afternoon.
Due to the Civil War, repeated appeals for help were required before President Abraham Lincoln appointed General John Pope to assemble troops from the Third and Fourth Minnesota Regiments to quell the violence. Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey also instructed Colonel Henry Sibley (formerly the state's first governor) to aid in the effort. Although the expedition got off to a slow start, the Sioux were finally met and defeated at the Wood Lake on September 23, 1862.
The fighting lasted for six weeks. The final large-scale fighting took place in the Battle of Wood Lake. Most Dakota fighters surrendered at Camp Release on September 26. Records conclusively show that more than 150 soldiers and settlers died in the conflict, though many more may are believed to have died in small raids or after being captured. Estimates for U.S. losses range up to 800, though there is no accurate accounting of Dakota deaths."
interesting stuff from MN history.there was also a mass execution in the basement of the "Landmark Center" in downtown St.Paul,although much smaller numbers.