hand ▁accounts ▁which ▁clearly ▁indicate ▁that ▁Brown ▁was ▁with ▁the ▁party ▁to ▁look ▁for ▁members ▁of ▁his ▁family , ▁who ▁had ▁been ▁taken ▁prisoner ▁by ▁the ▁Si oux , ▁and ▁to ▁advise ▁the ▁detail ▁with ▁his ▁expert ise ▁of ▁the ▁Indians . ▁The ▁following ▁morning , ▁Anderson ▁and ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁caval ry ▁crossed ▁to ▁the ▁south ▁side ▁of ▁the ▁river , ▁while ▁Grant ▁and ▁his ▁inf antry ▁stayed ▁on ▁the ▁north ▁side . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁day , ▁Anderson ' s ▁and ▁Grant ' s ▁soldiers ▁met ▁up ▁again ▁at ▁a ▁cam ps ite ▁near ▁Bir ch ▁Cou lee . ▁ ▁The ▁two ▁det ach ments ▁had ▁buried ▁ 5 4 ▁bodies , ▁and ▁since ▁neither ▁group ▁had ▁seen ▁any ▁Indians , ▁they ▁figured ▁they ▁were ▁safe . ▁ ▁Meanwhile , ▁Chief ▁Little ▁Crow ▁was ▁leading ▁a ▁force ▁of ▁ 1 1 0 ▁n ortheast ward ▁from ▁New ▁Ul m , ▁while ▁his ▁chief ▁war rior , ▁Gray ▁Bird , ▁was ▁heading ▁down ▁the ▁south ▁side ▁of ▁the ▁Minnesota ▁River ▁with ▁a ▁force ▁of ▁ 3 5 0 ▁Indians . ▁ ▁Gray ▁Bird ' s ▁party ▁and ▁Brown ' s ▁troops ▁missed ▁encounter ing ▁each ▁other ▁during ▁the ▁day , ▁but ▁some ▁Indian ▁sc outs ▁discovered ▁that ▁Brown ' s ▁troops ▁were ▁moving ▁toward ▁the ▁cam ps ite ▁at ▁Bir ch ▁Cou lee . ▁ ▁The ▁Si oux ▁planned ▁to ▁amb ush ▁Brown ' s ▁troops ▁in ▁the ▁morning , ▁thinking ▁that ▁only ▁the ▁caval ry ▁was ▁present ▁and