Moseley, Edward
Edward Moseley was an Englishman who had been residing in California before moving to Vancouver Island in 1863.1 He was employed as a member of the road crew for Alfred Waddington's proposed Bute Inlet trail to the Cariboo gold fields. While camping with Joseph Fielding and James Campbell, a group of Tsilhqot’in First Nations men, armed with muskets, axes, and knives, attacked their tent.2 The Tsilhqot'in men shot through the tent hitting Fielding and Campbell, while the tent pole served as protection to Moseley.3 The Tsilhqot’in continued their attack stabbing Fielding and Campbell.4 Believing all three men to be dead, the Tsilhqot’in left the tent, Moseley then jumped out of the tent and into the river where he floated unnoticed.5 Soon after, he met up with Peter Peterson and Phillip Buckely, who were badly injured, and they made their way towards the ferry. Upon arrival, they discovered the death of Tim Smith, the ferryman.6 They later met up with two French Canadian packers and five Bute Inlet First Nations men, together they all floated to the half-way house, and then to Nanaimo where they received medical help.7 After the medical stabilization of Buckley, and Peterson, the men boarded the Emily Harris headed for Victoria.8 Moseley was the only individual to survive the attack uninjured.9
  • 1. Dreadful Massacre, Daily British Colonist, 12 May 1864.
  • 2. Ibid.; A Survivor's Account, Daily Chronicle, 12 May 1864.
  • 3. Dreadful Massacre, Daily British Colonist, 12 May 1864.
  • 4. Ibid.
  • 5. A Survivor's Account, Daily Chronicle, 12 May 1864.
  • 6. Ibid.
  • 7. Ibid.
  • 8. Ibid.
  • 9. Ibid.
Biographical information is not yet available for this person.
Mentions of this person in the documents
The Colonial Despatches Team. Moseley, Edward. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/moseley.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)