The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-09-05

The Delay In tho Movements Of the Indi-
an Expedition, and the Cause Of 1t.
We have heard all along the Minnesota
Valley, and here at the Capitol, almost uni
versal complaints against Col. SHELLEY, for
his dilatory movements against the Sioux.
The people knew that be had considerable
force under him, and their expectations
kept pace with their impatieuce to see the
savages who had desolated our frontier,
wiped out speedily from the face of the
earth. Their Impotence was natural, but
their expectations were lily, and even foolish
ly, grounded.
The people will be surprised to learn,
that the Companies of the Sixth Regiment,
taken by Colonel SHELLEY to st. Peter, were
rendered almost utterly Ineffective by the
worthless character of the arms issued to
them. These arms were what are called
"Austrian rifles and to show their quail.
ty we will refer to an experiment made with
them. Captain GRANTS company, num-
bering sixty muskets, after thoroughly
cleaning their arms, and stifening the
springs of the locks by leather holsters, at.
tempted to fire round and of the sixty
Austrian guns, only twenty-nine could
be made to explode. These were the kind
of arms placed in the hands of the three or
four companies sent with Colonel S1BLEY to
St. Peter.
The troops. comprising seven companies,
which marched up the Valley under COM
mand of Col. Crooks, were armed with the
Springfield rifled musket, perfect weapon.
But these weapons were rendered almost
worthless for the reason that the cartridges
sent along with them were of too large
calibre to be used. A shift was made,
however, by. recastiug and "swedging" the
balls, to use such portions as were not
wasted in that process.
Col. SIBLEY, in this dilemma, with worth.
less guns for bis good cartridges, and with
wrong-sized cartridges for bis good guns,
waited in st. Peter in daily expectation Of
supplies of ammunition which had been
promised him, until his patience was ex-
hausted when, on Tuesday, the Goth
August, he moved bis command for Fort
Ridgley. He made this march with only
ten rounds in the cartridge boxes of bis
men, and these were supplied by recasting
the wrong-sized balls which had unfor-
tunately been furnished him. These ten
rounds, any one knows, would not have sui.
feed as for many minutes firing and he ran
an npjustiiable risk in marching towards
the enemy in such condition.
Col. SIBLEY arrived with his men, and
the ten rounds, on Thursday afternoon, and
it was not until Saturday afternoon, the
Both August, that further supplies of am
munition reached him. He then received
$4,000 cartridges; but, upon examination,
$4,000 of these were found, as before, of too
large canDre IOr MS guns.
We left his encampment, near Fort
Ridgley, on Sunday, the 3lst, at which
time the men we're trying, with their imper-
feet facilities, to recast the diversified balls.
and orders were out to march on the sue.
ceeding day. We presume this was done;
but we presume, also, that, if done, it was
an unwarrantable and unmilitary proceed.
ing on the part of Col. S1BLEY. For be
could not have had, taking into account the
wastage involved in making over his cart.
ridges, more than about forty rounds to a
man. Thirty minutes fighting, of Or
binary briskness, would suffice to empty
every cartridge box, and with no reserve
supply, bis men would have nothing to de.
pend upon but their bayonets or their legs !;
either of which would amount to little
against Indians fully armed, abundantly
supplied with ammunition, and splendidly
mounted on the pickle horses of the frontier.
These are the facts. We charge no
blame, at present, nor do we wish to insinu-
ate any. We merely say, in view of them,
that Colonel SlBLEY is not obnoxious to
censure by reason of delay bnt that if
blame attaches to him on any account, it is
that he has moved into the field before be
was prepared for even a skirmisb, much
less for battle.