During the Dakota War of 1862, Gabrielle Renville helped to organize the "friendly" soldiers' lodge which opposed the hostile warriors attacking white settlements. He was a driving force within the Dakota Peace Party that emerged among the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands, which soon attracted the support of disgruntled Mdewakantons. The peace party sought to end the war and secure the release of prisoners captured by the Dakota warriors, and made it difficult for the warriors to sustain the war effort.