The late Lieut. -Colonel John G. Champion. 303 



joined General Pennefather s Brigade in the Second or Sir 

 De Lacy Evans' Division of the army. At the Alma, when 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Webber Smith was wounded, the com- 

 mand of the 95th devolved on Major Champion, and he re- 

 ceived the thanks of Lord Raglan for his conduct, in a de- 

 spatch to the Duke of Newcastle, dated 31st October. Major 

 Champion conducted the command of the 95th during all the 

 subsequent harassing operations. On the 26th of October, 

 when the Russians made an attack on the Second Division, 

 they were met by a prolonged resistance from the pickets 

 commanded by Majors Champion and Enian, — so skilfully 

 conducted as to elicit the warmest praise from his Gene- 

 ral, Sir De Lacy Evans, in his despatch published by Lord 

 Raglan, — and this gallant defence was considered by his com- 

 rades of the army to have been a service in which his ability 

 as an officer was eminently displayed. On this occasion he 

 kept the enemy at bay by a close musketry fire, until the am- 

 munition of his men was expended. Afterwards, at one time, 

 he repulsed them by charging ; at another, he stopped them by 

 making his men cheer loudly as if reinforcements had arrived, 

 and by such devices he maintained his ground till the wel- 

 come sound of the guns crowning the hill at last relieved him 

 from his perilous position. The gallant way in which he held 

 these pickets enabled him to keep the Russians at bay till the 

 division came up in order, and drove the Russians back, 

 who were driven to the walls of Sebastopol by the 95th regi- 

 ment. 



On the morning of the battle of Inkermann, Major Champion 

 entered the field in support of the 41st regiment with a wing 

 of the 95th — they soon met and repulsed the enemy — they 

 were then desired to hurry on to the assistance of the Grena- 

 dier Guards, at a battery where the enemy pressed them hard. 

 Conjointly, these brave men (Guards, 41st, and 95th) success- 

 fully resisted the persevering attacks of the overwhelming 

 numbers of the enemy. It was towards the end of this strug- 

 gle, when their ammunition was all expended, that Major 

 Champion (then, we believe, senior survivor) proposed to some 

 of the band of heroes to mount and charge over the battery. 

 This they did in style, and drove the enemy down the hill 



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