feared but had been taken prisoner along with her children and son-in-law. On the morning of August 20, Renville and 12 other Dakota and "mixed-blood" men went to Yellow Medicine Agency to "make a stand" in the agency's brick buildings. Gabriel's stepfather Akipa and his half-brother Charles Crawford then went south to rescue Susan and her children; on August 23, they arrived at Little Crow's camp, where Akipa successfully negotiated their release. In the days that followed, Renville received word that the hostile warriors and their families moving north toward the Yellow Medicine Agency. When Little Crow arrived, he advised Renville, his men and their families to leave the agency buildings since the hostiles would burn them down. Dakota Peace Party and soldiers' lodge As Renville, his men and their families moved north, they passed through the hostiles' camp, realizing that over half of the 200 white and mixed-blood prisoners there were women and children. With tensions running high, Gabriel Renville had the idea to call a council and invite the hostiles to negotiate the release of the prisoners. He killed a calf supplied by his cousin John Baptiste Renville and organized a feast. More than 100 hostile Mdewakanton warriors arrived with guns, but when Renville invited them to sit down and eat, they could not refuse, according to Dakota tradition. Talks broke down with the hostiles unwilling to release women and children, and the friendlies unwilling to join them. Renville's side decided to form a single camp of families friendly toward the whites, with a large tent at the center of a circle west of Riggs's Hazelwood Mission buildings. They organized their own soldiers' lodge, with Renville among the four officers, and Paul Mazakutamani as their spokesman. The hostile Mdewakantons then called a large council, inviting the friendlies. Nearly a thousand people total were in attendance. Again, passionate speeches were made on both sides. During the council the Mdewakantons also shared information about the Battle of Birch Coulee, and several hostile warriors mentioned that they had recognized the voice of Major Joseph R. Brown. Wanting to find out whether Brown was still alive, Renville suggested sending Charles Crawford out to Birch Coulee to investigate how many had been killed. Upon his return, Crawford reported to Renville that he had found a letter from Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley left on the battleground, inviting the Indians to come speak with him