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and white settlers had deteriorated considerably. Once the War began, already scarce resources were further strained, and the supplies promised to the Dakota in "a series of broken peace treaties" were no longer available. Starving tribesmen attacked settlements in
105:, "We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee's case was No. 3 and not listed in the execution order handwritten by Lincoln... The man he died for was No. 121, identified by Lincoln as Chaskey-don or Chaskey-etay, who had been condemned for murdering a pregnant woman."
112:, and her children. According to Wakefield, Chaska "kept them from certain death and abuse at the hands of his fellow tribesmen. 'If it had not been for Chaska,' Wakefield said, 'my bones would now be bleaching on the prairie, and my children with
84:, but Lincoln reversed all but 38 of the death sentences for lack of evidence. Chaska's sentence was one of those commuted, but (because of an apparent case of mistaken identity) he was nevertheless executed.
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There has been some dispute over whether mistaken identity was to blame for Chaska's execution. There were three men held in
Mankato on the day of the hanging called Chaska, which in the
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146:, said there would be a range of response to a pardon just for Chaska. Many Dakota, he said, 'consider all of them to be innocent martyrs — people who stood up and died for us.'
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116:.'" For her part, Wakefield "firmly believed that Chaska was executed on purpose, in retaliation for her testimony and in reaction to rumors that she and Chaska were
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152:'It would cause people to read and research into it a little deeper,' Mr. Wabasha said. 'It would be a step in the right direction.'
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120:. General Sibley, who appointed the tribunal that convicted Chaska, privately referred to him as Wakefield's 'dusky paramour.'"
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184:(2017) by Ruth Hull Chatlien, which is based on Sarah Wakefield's memoir about her captivity during the war.
138:, the idea of a pardon has received a mixed (though largely positive) response from the Dakota community:
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However, Leonard
Wabasha, a local Dakota leader, said a federal pardon for Chaska would 'shine a light.'
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Others believe the execution was deliberate. During the war, Chaska had abducted a white woman,
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biographer Gary
Anderson believes soldiers "just grabbed the wrong guy". According to
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should support," adding that "A wrong should be righted." Former
Minnesota Senator
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Chadwick Stokes released a song in 2019 titled "Chaska" detailing the events.
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244:"Minnesota History: Caught in the middle of the Dakota War"
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People executed by the United States military by hanging
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said a pardon would be "a grand gesture and one I think
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means "junior" and is often used for a firstborn son.
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19th-century executions by the United States military
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Wayne Wells, a Dakota language teacher on the nearby
31:(pronounced chas-KAY) (died December 26, 1862) was a
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Chaska is a major character in the historical novel
225:"Execution 150 Years Ago Spurs Calls for Pardon"
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128:A move has begun to award Chaska a posthumous
51:had commuted his death sentence days earlier.
72:, and in response, more than 400 Dakota and "
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315:Recipients of American presidential clemency
310:19th-century executions of American people
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295:Executed people from Minnesota
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290:19th-century Native Americans
242:Brown, Curt (April 2, 2015).
156:Former Minnesota Congressman
182:Blood Moon: A Captive's Tale
162:our Congressional delegation
223:Elder, Robert (2010-12-13)
170:Committee on Indian Affairs
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144:Prairie Island reservation
27:, Good Little Stars), or
80:. 303 of these men were
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59:In the years before the
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95:history professor and
93:University of Oklahoma
78:Henry Hastings Sibley
43:, in the wake of the
132:. According to the
25:Wičháhpi Waštédaŋpi
176:In popular culture
124:Calls for a pardon
102:The New York Times
82:sentenced to death
45:Dakota War of 1862
41:Mankato, Minnesota
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74:mixed-blood
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191:References
166:Al Franken
55:Background
70:Minnesota
61:Civil War
35:of the
254:May 7,
130:pardon
118:lovers
37:Dakota
29:Chaska
21:Dakota
256:2016
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