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SKETCH OF THE LIFE 
 
 LATE LIEUT.-COLONEL CHAMPION, 
 
 OP THE 9Sth regiment. 
 
 EXTRACTS FEOM HIS COEEESPONDENCE. 
 
 FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATiOi)^ Q^LY, 
 

 LONDON : 
 BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. 
 
 HENRY MORSE STEPHENS 
 
0^ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page 
 EARLY DAYS .... 4 ... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 PEACE . . . . . . . . . . 5 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 EITLGAEIA 19 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE CEIMEA . 35 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 SCUTABI 69 
 
 (U ^-J ^J A^ /C i. 
 
SKETCH 
 
 LIFE OF LIEUT.-COL CHAMPION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 It has been remarked upon several occasions during 
 the present war, that the British private soldier, 
 although in no degree less courageous in action, less 
 patient under suffering, or resolute in endurance, than 
 he formerly was, has evinced, in addition to these 
 great qualities, an amount of religious feeling wholly 
 unexpected. We are assured by those who have 
 watched b}^ the sick beds of our gallant troops, that 
 nothing could be more touching than the gentle 
 resignation of those who had been fiercest in the strife; 
 and that their duty to their country having been nobly 
 performed, their next anxiety was to meet their fate 
 as became Christian soldiers. 
 
 That such a sentiment should exist so widely among 
 rough men whose profession is that of arms, must be 
 ascribed in part to an improvement in the education 
 
2 SKETCH or THE LIFE OF 
 
 of large numbers of the poor, along with an advance 
 in civilisation among all ranks of society ; and also to 
 that higher tone of morality which, now pervading the 
 highest classes, has extended its beneficial influence 
 among military men as well as others, and has even 
 descended to the lowest points of the social scale. 
 The events of the last few months have shown that a 
 soldier may fear God without fearing man ; and that 
 genuine piety is in no degree incompatible with daunt- 
 less courage in battle, and heroic devotion to duty. 
 Of this the late Lieutenant- Colonel Champion, the 
 subject of the present sketch, was a noble example. 
 
 John George Champion was descended from a family 
 which formerly possessed estates in Somerset and 
 Wiltshire, tracing their descent from a Norman fol- 
 lower of William the Conqueror. By intermarriage, 
 they were also connected with the collateral descend- 
 ants of Lord Chancellor Hyde. 
 
 He was born in Edinburgh on the 15th of May, 
 1815. His father, major in the 21st Eoyal N.B. 
 Fusileers, married Elizabeth, daughter of W. Urquhart, 
 Esq., of Craigston, and was killed in 1825 in the island 
 of St. Vincent, by a furious soldier, who mistook him 
 for another officer. The widowed mother then returned 
 to Scotland, where her eldest son, John George, re- 
 mained till he obtained a cadetship at Sandhurst. 
 Letters written in his childhood, and still preserved, 
 show that when only nine years old he had already 
 shown indications of a love for natural history, by his 
 knowledge of which he eventually became greatly dis- 
 tinguished. At that early age he was raising cater- 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 3 
 
 pillars, and watching their transformations with all the 
 interest of a man of science. 
 
 On the 12th of August, 1828, when thirteen years 
 old, he entered Sandhurst, and commenced his military 
 education. His own wishes were directed to a very dif- 
 ferent profession. The church was the field on which 
 he had fixed his hoyish affections, and it was not 
 without a severe struggle, nor till he heard that his 
 mother's future comfort depended greatly upon his 
 acceptance of the appointment which had been pro- 
 cured for him, that he forsook the path which he had 
 vainly hoped to follow. The decision once formed, he 
 never afterwards uttered one word of regret, but applied 
 himself resolutely, and with all his energy, to the pro- 
 secution of the studies demanded in his unexpected 
 career. The correspondence with his mother evinces 
 the most devoted affection, and shows how deeply 
 implanted in his nature was that gentle thoughtfulness 
 for others which so much endeared him in after life to 
 all who knew him. " If ever there was seen in youth 
 the foundation of a fair prospect of a virtuous and 
 honourable life ; if the strongest aversion from any act 
 of deceit, and the most marked attention to order and 
 every virtuous habit, are to be held as just grounds for 
 entertaining high hopes of a future career, then will 
 he have great change in his whole nature if such an 
 expectation is not realised." To this effect wrote the 
 Eev. W. Edwards, his tutor, in 1828; and his words 
 were prophetic. « 
 
 While at Sandhurst, he \vorked most diligently, and 
 received a certificate of especial approbation from the 
 
 B 2 
 
4 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 Collegiate Board, On the 30th of June, 1831, he 
 passed his public examination, being second on the 
 list of candidates for commissions ; and, on the 2nd of 
 August following, was appointed to an ensigncy in the 
 95th regiment, having been in the college only three 
 vears. 
 
LIEUT. -COL, CHAMPION. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PEACE. 
 
 Me. Champion was now sixteen years old, young, 
 small for his age, and from intense study he appeared 
 too delicate for his profession; but it was soon 
 found, by his brother officers, that beneath that 
 gentle exterior there lurked, not only the fiery spirit 
 of a soldier, but the cool self-possession of a veteran. 
 The 95th was in Guernsey when he joined it. 
 Shortly afterwards, a drunken private, having quar- 
 relled with his Serjeant, loaded his musket, locked 
 himself into the barrack-room, and, when the serjeant 
 attempted to open the door, fired, but, fortunately, 
 without effect. The man then reloaded, and threat- 
 ened to shoot the first person who might again 
 attempt to enter. While the officers were consulting 
 upon the best way of securing the culprit, Mr. Cham- 
 pion threw up the window of the barrack-room, jumped 
 in, seized and disarmed the man, and brought him out 
 a prisoner, before it was known that he contemplated 
 the daring act. It is needless to say, what effect this 
 produced upon those who witnessed it ; or, that it 
 secured the young officer the respect and admiration of 
 
6 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 the regiment — feelings which underwent no diminution 
 in after years. 
 
 From Guernsey, the regiment proceeded to Cepha- 
 lonia, where the leisure of Mr. Champion was 
 employed in studying the natural history of the 
 country, and thus reviving the taste which had never 
 left him, even in the midst of the severe duties of 
 Sandhurst. Entomology and hotany, especially the 
 former, were his favourite pursuits, and his journals 
 show that he pursued them in the true spirit of a 
 man of science. The papers, published in England 
 from observations made at this time, are still full of 
 interest, and indicate the turn he had for original ob- 
 servation. His entomological friends speak of the 
 " large collections of all orders from the Ionian 
 Islands." — {Edinh. Philos. Journal, April 1855.) Of 
 his discoveries there the following notice was also taken 
 by the President of the Entomological Society in his 
 annual address in the beginning of 1855 : — 
 
 " Twenty years ago he was well known to the readers 
 of the " Entomological Magazine,' under the pseudonym 
 of ' lonicus,' by his admirable papers on the economy 
 of certain Cephalonian insects, published in the third 
 volume of that journal ; it is true that some of the state- 
 ments there published related to facts previously familiar 
 to entomologists, yet described with great care and 
 evident originality ; others — for instance, the fact that 
 Brachinus grsecus explodes with its mouth, I have not 
 seen elsewhere. ' On the approach of danger,' wrote 
 the author, ' this insect salivates, and a bubble appears 
 at its mouth ; on contact with the air it explodes with 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 7 
 
 a considerable report, and gaseous matter may be seen 
 rising up like smoke : ... on being immersed in 
 boiling water to kill it, it let off one of these explosions, 
 and the water for about an inch around it effervesced 
 much in the same manner as a Seidlitz powder.' . . . 
 Major Champion's scientific papers are as follows : — 
 Notes on various Insects. By lonicus. Ent. Mag. 
 iii. 176, id. 376, id. 4:60.''— {Zoologist, March 1855.) 
 
 In May, 1835, he purchased his lieutenancy. 
 
 Ireland was the next station of the 95th. In October, 
 1838, the regiment sailed from Cork for Ceylon, Mr. 
 Champion having, by that time, purchased his company. 
 
 The following extract from his Journal of this date 
 paints vividly the impression made upon his mind by 
 departure for foreign service. *^ 1838, Oct. 8. I was 
 superintending the stowage of the men's arms and 
 accoutrements in the hold of the steamer at Warren 
 Point, when the band struck up * Sweet Home ' and 
 * Auld Langsyne,' and the Earl of Roden got up her 
 steam. I rushed on deck, saw the colours flying on 
 the poop, the depot waving their hands, and the crowd 
 cheering. She started, and our men gave them loud 
 and manly huzzas. In the bustle and excitement, and 
 the vivid future of expected pleasure in novelty, all 
 appeared to forget what they left behind. I can 
 answer for myself, that the pride which I felt in the 
 Derbies — the manly pride which made our men march 
 as steadily in the ranks for four miles as if going 
 to a parade, without one single instance of intoxica- 
 tion, obliterated all soft impressions — I never felt so 
 thoroughly a soldier.^' 
 
8 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 It was on the departure of the regiment for Ceylon, 
 that Captain Champion commenced his correspond- 
 ence with those distinguished naturahsts, whose 
 acquaintance speedily ripened into intimacy and 
 friendship. No one knew better than himself how 
 advantageous it is for a military man, in peaceful 
 quarters, to have some means of occupying his leisure 
 on the outside of the narrow circle of regimental 
 duties ; and in his favourite natural history he found 
 the pleasure and employment that he sought. It was 
 thus, as he relates in his Journal of the period, that he 
 continued to baffle that arch enemy of military men, 
 ennui, " How many hours of sickness,'^ he wrote, 
 " have glided pleasantly and happily away by that 
 means, which, without resources, must have left me 
 cross and miserable. If, then, the sciences are not 
 essential to our prosperity in the world, can we study 
 them without, at various periods of our lives, being in 
 situations where they reward us ? Is it, indeed, an 
 empty phrase, to talk of braving misfortunes with 
 philosophy ? " 
 
 By the advice and assistance of Dr. (now Sir William) 
 Hooker, books and materials for forming a Botanical 
 collection were purchased, as well as the usual appara- 
 tus required for other branches of Natural History, 
 and he sent home several interesting letters and 
 observations on these subjects. 
 
 In the Autumn of 1839 he was, however, obliged to 
 relinquish these pursuits, and the pleasure he had anti- 
 cipated in a foreign climate, having become utterly 
 prostrated by fever, aggravated by a Mosquito bite in 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 9 
 
 the foot, which festered and became so formidable as to 
 induce the surgeons to advise amputation. To this he 
 would not consent, but he obtained leave of absence, 
 and in the beginning of 1840 returned to England. 
 The voyage and change of climate re-established his 
 health, and gave him back the use of his foot, from 
 which he never again suffered inconvenience. 
 
 It was during his long, long hours of suffering here, 
 that the following note, so characteristic of his inner 
 feelings, found its way into his Journal : — 
 
 " The recollections of past days crowd upon me — 
 Dawlish, Craigston, and my aunt, in those scenes 
 mingle in my imagination with all the Craigston family, 
 and my sister, the little pet cherub that I defended once 
 from the crummel cow. 
 
 ** I was ever a faithful child in my affections, for I 
 pined in secret for my father and mother until their 
 return from the West Indies ; and when my aunt left 
 Craigston I pined for her ; and in my after-life, love 
 with either sex has not been a glove which I could cast 
 off at convenience, as we too often see and experience 
 in the cold world. Oh ! shall I ever forget the grief 
 of that moment, or of succeeding years, when I saw my 
 younger sister laid in her grave ; or the month of sus- 
 pense and misery that, in more manly years, I passed 
 at a still closer affliction?* Then come the years of 
 youth, when we learn to conceal our feelings, and to 
 strengthen the powers of reason ; to temper the affec- 
 tions ; and to attach ourselves to those who seem 
 
 * The illness of his motlier, which he heard of when in Corfu. He came 
 home overland only to hear of her death a short time before his arrival. 
 
 B 3 
 
10 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 best qualified to guide our abilities and actions into 
 useful channels. How light and pleasant are those 
 days ! how happy and how couleur de rose seems the 
 future ! How prone, then, is the youthful spirit to 
 abandon itself to mirth ! how prone to folly ! and how 
 little are its follies restricted by the world ! Lastly 
 comes a manly change, which turns our former patrons 
 (if I may so express it) into either friends or enemies, 
 according as we resemble them in principles, or have 
 assisted or thwarted some secret plan or secret foible. 
 We are now less accessible, more forward in character, 
 and more easily injured by yielding to our passions. 
 We do not view the future with so much ardent expec- 
 tation of good, or perhaps with so much anxiety, but 
 our actions generally tend to future good; and who 
 will not be thankful that misfortunes are viewed in 
 that state calmly — at least, in general, those apper- 
 taining to self? Yet these youthful passions survive 
 and strangely convulse life, strongly perverting our 
 reasonable thoughts ; and it is perhaps rarely, until 
 the decay of our frail frames, that we have totally to 
 banish love, ambition, avarice, or any of the great 
 master-passions. It is when we begin to fail, when 
 the body refuses its powers in forwarding the useful 
 projects of our minds, that we lose the passions which 
 have sprung up in society ; find that life is, after all, 
 but a trial; and that happiness is to be found in 
 another world in the preparation we have made for it 
 in this. This state is, then, content ; and happy is he 
 who can say he has found it !" 
 
 In the year 1841, Captain Champion married 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 11 
 
 Frances Mary, eldest surviving daughter of the late 
 Captain David Carnegie, and she returned with him to 
 Ceylon in the same year. Upon rejoining his regiment 
 he remained for some time at Kandy ; but eventually 
 was placed upon the staff at Galle, and acted as staff- 
 officer till the 95th was ordered to China. 
 
 During his residence at Galle he still continued to 
 occupy, with natural history, all the leisure hours 
 which his regimental duties afforded ; with how much 
 real success the papers left in the hands of friends 
 abundantly prove. In June, 1844, he was interesting 
 himself in the reorganisation of the Eoyal Botanic 
 Garden at Peradenia, which had been newly placed 
 under the direction of the late Mr. Gardner, a natu- 
 ralist of rare talent, by whom, at a later date, a genus 
 of plants was dedicated to him, under the name of 
 Championa. Captain Champion had, even at that 
 time, been able to send to Dr. Wight, another eminent 
 botanist, in charge of the East India Company's 
 botanic garden and cotton estates, at Madras, between 
 600 and 700 species of plants collected by himself, 
 many of which were before unknown; and he after- 
 wards added largely to his acquisitions. In June, 
 1846, w^e find him describing two curious little genera 
 of parasitical plants, which he had discovered, and 
 which show that his power of quick observation 
 enabled him to work, notwithstanding the want 
 of a good microscope, in even the minute depart- 
 ments of botanical science. In an interesting article 
 published in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Jour- 
 nal, for April 1855, and supposed to have been 
 
12 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 contributed by a gentleman whose attainments in 
 Natural History give his opinions great value, and 
 whose intimacy with the subject of our memoir 
 guarantees their exactness, it is said that " The 
 then local Government of Ceylon saw with pleasure 
 men of such ability occupied in investigating the 
 natural productions of the country, and had it in 
 contemplation to encourage and preserve these ob- 
 servations by publishing, at their expense and under 
 their sanction, a Fauna or Physical History of the 
 Island. Captain Champion was to have been intrusted 
 with the Entomology and a share of the Botany, and 
 amassed a vast amount of materials for this purpose. 
 A large volume of carefully executed figures of insects 
 was prepared by him, and a considerable number of 
 drawings and dissections of plants. Unfortunately, the 
 change of Government put a stop to this enlightened 
 project, and the materials still remain unused. Let us 
 hope that they may yet be made available to science." 
 In this hope we cordially join. So far as Captain 
 Champion could ensure such a result, he did so by 
 generously dividing the very considerable number of 
 plants he had examined, classified, and formed into 
 an herbarium, among his friends, Mr. Bentham, Sir 
 William Hooker, and Dr. Lindley. 
 
 Of the Ceylon collections in Entomology, some have 
 been published by Mr. Westwood, among which is the 
 Callirhipis Championi (Trans, of Ent. Soc. n. s. II. p. 
 235, pi. xii. fig. 2), and Eugensis palpator (lb. p. 239, 
 pi. xii. fig. 5). They also contained a new and curious 
 species of Kirby's genus Drepaiiocerus, which Mr. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 13 
 
 Westwood has named D. Tajprohance, together with 
 many smaller Coleoptera, which the same distin- 
 guished Entomologist has pronounced new to science. 
 
 Although occupied with Natural History, and similar 
 pursuits, Captain Champion never neglected the duties 
 of his profession, which were increased by his acting for 
 some time as Judge Advocate. The testimony of those 
 who knew him then, relates that no one understood 
 regimental duty better. He was strict with the private 
 soldier, as all good officers are ; nevertheless, by his 
 justice and consideration, he secured the respect and 
 attachment of the troops. At the same time, his kind 
 disposition, gentle manners, disregard of personal trou- 
 ble, and assiduous discharge of the regimental affairs 
 with which he was entrusted, won the affections of his 
 brother officers. 
 
 One of his acts was, to reform the canteen system, 
 which had been found highly prejudicial to the health 
 of the troops ; and this he effected with so much 
 success, that the method has since been adopted in 
 other regiments. The low-priced spirits of Hong 
 Kong were most pernicious ; high-priced beer was 
 wholesome. His plan was, to raise the cost of the 
 former, and to lower that of the latter. The men, 
 under such altered circumstances, took readily to the 
 beer : the consumption of spirits ceased in proportion, 
 and the sanitary condition of the regiment improved. 
 
 In this island. Captain Champion had ample leisure 
 for pursuing his favourite sciences, and nowhere 
 did he attain more complete success. Among other 
 remarkable objects, he succeeded in discovering one 
 
14 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 of the most beautiful trees which even China pro- 
 duces, and which had been previously unknown to the 
 Chinese themselves. Under the name of Ehodoleia 
 Championi, given to it by his friend Sir William 
 Hooker, it now exists in our gardens, and, when old 
 enough to flower, will be superior in interest even 
 to the Camellia. Before his investigations, the island 
 had been only very superficially visited by botanists, 
 and we had not above a couple of hundred species, 
 chiefly from close around the town of Victoria and a 
 little way up the Happy Valley. Captain Champion 
 examined a great part of the island, although there is 
 a portion of it which it is very dangerous to visit, on 
 account of the pirates. During the life of Mr. Gardner, 
 akeady mentioned as his scientific associate in Ceylon, 
 descriptions of Captain Champion's Hong-Kong plants, 
 partly prepared by himself and partly by Mr. Gardner, 
 were sent to England, and published by Sir William 
 Hooker in the first volume of his Journal of Botany. 
 They evinced considerable knowledge of systematical 
 Botany, and would have done honour to an experienced 
 resident in Europe. Upon the premature death of 
 Mr. Gardner, the collections were placed in the hands 
 of Mr. Bentham, who faithfully reported the result of 
 his examination in the same publication. Professor 
 Lindley determined 83 species to belong to the curious 
 race of Orchids, 11 of them being previously unknown 
 or very slightly known. It ultimately appeared that 
 the collection comprised 542 flowering species, out of 
 which 136 were ascertained to be entirely new. Some 
 of them, highly ornamental shrubs, have been intro- 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 15 
 
 duced by him to England. In addition to these were 
 many ferns, now in the hands of Sir William Hooker, 
 and, at present, undetermined, as well as the whole of 
 his Grasses and Cyperaceous plants. Among these dis- 
 coveries, one of the most interesting was the tree which 
 produces the bony Chesnut-acorns sold in the markets 
 of Canton, which had been called Syncedrys ossea, and 
 has more recently been referred, with questionable 
 propriety, to the genus Quercus. A few of the results of 
 his researches were eventually published by himself, 
 with figures, in an excellent memoir, in the Transactions 
 of the Linncean Society, under the title of ' The 
 Ternstromiaceous Plants of Hong Kong ' (vol. xxi., 
 p. 111). 
 
 The Entomological collections made in China were 
 varied and valuable. Among other curious discoveries 
 was that of as many as three new species of the 
 singular family of Paussidce, to which he gave the 
 names of Paussus sinicus, hystrix, and BowringL 
 These remarkable insects were captured on Victoria 
 Peak, beneath stones, in the nests of a minute species 
 of ant. The fact of the crepitation of the Paussi 
 was fully confirmed by their discoverer, the explosive 
 process having been found to resemble the ticking of a 
 watch, and being accompanied by the emission of caustic 
 vapour which discolours the finger when attempting 
 to seize the insect. These insects were described in 
 the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, June 19, 1849, 
 by Mr. Westwood, by whom this and the following 
 information has been obligingly communicated : — 
 
 " Another remarkable little species captured near 
 
16 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 Hong Kong is the Clytellus Methocoides, a small longi- 
 corn beetle, which I described in the Transactions as 
 having very much the appearance of an ant, and which 
 was taken upon the plant also discovered by Colonel 
 Champion on Victoria Peak, and named by him 
 Eriobotrya chinensis. Another new form among the 
 Coleoptera, brought from Hong Kong, was the Lichas 
 funehris, Westw. Tr. Ent. Soc. n. s. II., p. 238, pi. 12, 
 f. 3, which, notwithstanding various peculiarities in its 
 structure, appears nearest allied to the family Elateridse. 
 It was captured upon Camellia assimilis (Champ.), on 
 Victoria Peak, and at Hong Kong. A new Cicindela, 
 remarkable for the burnished coppery red patch on 
 each elytron, was also taken by him in considerable 
 numbers, as well as the Helluo Asteriscus (White), and 
 Macrocheilus Bensoni (Kirhy), as well as a very large 
 assemblage of species of the other families of beetles. 
 The other orders were also not neglected, especially 
 the Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera, amongst which 
 are various new kinds, belonging however to ordinary 
 generic forms. The insects which he brought home 
 from China were liberally distributed by him to the 
 British Museum, and the Belfast Natural History 
 Society (through Dr. Temple ton) ; and various private 
 collections were also enriched by this means." 
 
 Dr. Gray adds that 350 insects, chiefly Coleoptera, 
 from Hong-Kong, were presented by their lamented 
 discoverer to the British Museum. " Some of them," 
 he states, " are described and referred to as presented 
 by Colonel Champion, in the pubhshed Catalogues of 
 the Museum," 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 17 
 
 While in Hong Kong the only military event which 
 demands notice, was the command of a party sent up 
 the country to ensure the execution of some Chinese 
 criminals. The event itself is thus described in a 
 letter from Captain (then Lieutenant) Sargent : — 
 
 Fifty men of *Hhe light company of the 95th, 
 under the command of Capt. Champion, with the 
 late Lieutenant Swettenham and myself as its sub- 
 alterns, was ordered to Canton in December, 1847, 
 to protect the British factory from a threatened 
 attack of the Chinese populace and village ' braves,' 
 who had just murdered six of our merchants, and 
 had placarded their intention of treating all Fan-kwei, 
 or foreign devils, in the same way. Subsequently 
 Sir John Davis ordered the party further up the river, 
 to a village called Hwang-chu-kee, for the purpose of 
 witnessing the execution of the murderers, who had 
 been given up by the Chinese government. They had 
 been sentenced to decapitation in front of their ances- 
 tral temple, in order to render the punishment the 
 more degrading and effectual. The Chinese announced 
 their intention of ' chopping the party to pieces,' and 
 many thought it would hardly return in the face of the 
 vast number of people who had collected about the 
 place of execution, with the avowed determination of 
 preventing the disgraceful punishment from being 
 carried into effect. Even in Hong Kong matters 
 appeared so serious, that a second Chinese war was 
 apprehended.^' This is mentioned for the purpose of 
 showing that the duty was known to be one of con- 
 siderable danger, requiring much judgment, fore- 
 
18 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 thought, and coolness ; for which reason Captain 
 Champion had claimed as his right, as senior captain, 
 to lead the expedition with his own company. The 
 duty lasted for about a month; the sentence was 
 carried into execution ; and on the return of the de- 
 tachment to Hong Kong, General D'Aguilar ordered 
 the service that had been so well performed to be 
 entered on the records of the regiment, which was 
 done. 
 
 After a time it was found impossible to maintain 
 the health of the troops in so hot and insalubrious 
 a station as Hong Kong. Towards the end of 1849, 
 fever broke out alarmingly, and carried the men off 
 in great numbers. Captain Champion visited the 
 hospital daily, and was unremitting in his kindness 
 to the men. Eventually the 95th was ordered back 
 to England, where it arrived in the autumn of 1850. 
 
 On the 17th November, 1851, Captain Champion 
 obtained his brevet majority; and the same brevet 
 making his colonel a general officer, he obtained his 
 majority without purchase. 
 
 In 1853 he was with his regiment at Chobham, 
 and there first, after twenty-three years service, learned 
 to live under canvas, and became familiar with those 
 rough duties of military life which he was soon to 
 experience in a more extended field and under sterner 
 circumstances. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 19 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 BULGARIA. 
 
 In January, 1854, rumours became rife of an expe- 
 dition to the East, and feelings were raised which few 
 of the present generation had experienced. By March 
 it was known that the 95th was to form part of 
 the expeditionary force, and at last to enter in earnest 
 into the service of their Queen and country. It was 
 now that the dearest ties had to be broken^ and the 
 tenderest affections wrenched asunder. No one could 
 have felt the sacrifice more acutely than Major Cham- 
 pion. But the soldier knows that his first duty is to 
 his fatherland, and to that sacred obligation all social 
 feelings must give way. Yet not entirely. How much 
 less than entirely, the sequel of this short tale will tell. 
 
 On the 8th April, the 95th sailed from Portsmouth 
 in a state of high efficiency, eager for distinction and 
 buoyant v/ith many-coloured hope. In the Journal 
 for Easter Sunday the following passage occurs, and 
 serves to show how unalterable were those devotional 
 feelings with which he had started in early life. 
 " This " wrote the gallant subject of our sketch, 
 " ought to be a period of thought at all times, but still 
 
20 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 more so now * * *. I often hope, and it has been 
 my prayer this morning to our Heavenly Father, that 
 the expedition we are engaged in may (although for 
 the present hid from all but Him) be the forerunner of 
 the extension of His dominion in the East." 
 
 On the 24th April the regiment after a prosperous 
 voyage reached Scutari, where it disembarked to form a 
 portion of Sir de Lacy Evans's Division in Colonel (now 
 General) Pennefather's brigade, and was immediately 
 put under canvas, which was soon found to be prefer- 
 able to Turkish barracks swarming with every descrip- 
 tion of vermin. Major Champion in several letters 
 expresses his astonishment at finding the general 
 appearance of Constantinople so much like that of 
 Canton ; and his brother officers who had been in 
 China were equally surprised. They found the 
 drawings, the music, the taste in dress and houses 
 bearing great resemblance in the two cases, and there 
 was the same seclusion of the women. The Turks 
 themselves were however seen to be a superior race, 
 so far as could be judged from outward demeanour; 
 and he thought that with a good religion they might 
 become a good people. 
 
 After a long delay, owing as was supposed to de- 
 fective Commissariat arrangements, or as some said to 
 the incomplete state of the expedition in artillery and 
 cavalry, the brigade was moved forward to Varna, 
 where it disembarked on the 19th June, encamping 
 near Varna lake in a pleasant plain surrounded by 
 hills, and not unlike Chobham in appearance. 
 
 In a letter to Lieutenant- Colonel Alcock, formerly of 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 21 
 
 the 95th regiment, dated Camp, Varna, June 26th, 
 1854, we have the following pleasant sketches of 
 military affairs : — 
 
 " The Guards and Highland brigade left Constanti- 
 nople on the 13th inst. Sir De Lacy Evans's division 
 left on the 16th and two following days. The 95th, 
 with a company of Sappers and General Pennefather 
 and staff, were in that fine steamer the Golden Fleece. 
 Sailing on the 17th, we passed Sunday on board, in 
 Varna Bay : landed in the boats of the Henri 
 Quatre, vaisseau de Guerre, and were played up 
 by the French 27th band. We are camped on the 
 dos a dos plan by companies near the lake, 
 and have a good supply of water, but experience 
 rather a deficiency of wood. The French are more 
 handy soldiers than our men, and either take more 
 readily to campaigning, or are more practised, but 
 they are not equal in physical force. They and the 
 English soldiers are excellent friends. The French, 
 at least, rather affect to look down upon the Turks ; 
 but I certainly cannot do so, after their bearing the 
 brunt of the war, and so nobly defending Silistria. 
 There are four very fine Egyptian regiments at Varna. 
 They are ill-clothed, but good-sized and robust soldiers, 
 and manoeuvre with precision — more steadily, I think, 
 than some English regiments. Their system is, 
 probably, too steady and slow. Yesterday, after 
 Church service. Sir De Lacy Evans addressed our 
 division with the news of the victory gained by the 
 Turks at Silistria, which he says has relieved it, all the 
 Russian outworks being destroyed. Great praise is 
 
22 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 given to Captain Butler, of the Ceylon Eifles, who 
 was serving in Silistria. 
 
 " The Gallipoli division arrived on Saturday, and is 
 landing to-day. They encamp beyond us on the same 
 ground. The 4th has been left at Gallipoli and the 49th 
 and 95th each left eighty-five men behind to keep Scutari 
 barracks. A brigade-major of the 30th commands this 
 depot. Our Light division, under General Brown, is 
 still at the end of the lake, nine miles off, at a place 
 which some call Aladin and some Ondine, but I sup- 
 pose neither is correct. Those, who have been there, 
 describe very curious basaltic columns, so that the 
 alluvial basin and limestone hills surrounding this 
 lake must end at the head. The basin is much fuller 
 than represented in your map, and very level. It 
 must, evidently, once have been a large fresh water 
 lake. The country is all covered with Paliurus 
 aculeatus (Christ's Thorn,) and there appears to be good 
 grounds for supposing that it really formed the crown 
 woven for our Saviour at his crucifixion. The plain is 
 covered with Cardoon Thistles. Barley is cultivated in 
 vineyards, and there are orchards of walnuts, pears, 
 plums, peaches, and apricots, also maize and melons, 
 but no olives nor Caroube trees. The curious Hungarian 
 Lethrus beetle is very common, and I have specimens 
 of Calosoma Sycophanta. At Constantinople I got 
 the splendid Crimean Procerus tauricus. Hares 
 abound here, and a species of marmot, or ground 
 squirrel, is very common. The forenoons are very hot, 
 usually tempered by a sea breeze ; the climate dry, 
 and the evenings and mornings charming, but the 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 23 
 
 nights cold and damp, with dew. Bathing in the lake 
 is a favourite amusement with all classes. 
 
 *'I send you a very slight sketch of our position, 
 done hy the eye from my tent. We expected to have 
 moved on to attack the Russians, but no one knows now 
 what plan will be adopted, as the relief of Silistria is 
 considered of great strategetic importance. 
 
 " Varna is a very poor place, and by no means strong, 
 except defended by men of war, but the plain in front 
 of it is admirably adapted for a field of battle. Pro- 
 visions are bad and dear, except poultry. We are 
 supplied by English ships and French shops, but it is 
 very difficult to get on board, as there are no caiques, 
 or passenger boats. The war is evidently felt here, 
 and there are few people in the town, except peasantry, 
 who for the most part, seem to have sent away their 
 families. 
 
 " I have a Naval and Military Gazette to-day, for 
 which I think I am indebted to you. General Forey 
 (who commanded the French troops at the Piraeus and 
 was at Constantinople) inspected the 95th one after- 
 noon before we left, and was much pleased with us. 
 The 50th was the first regiment of the division from 
 Gallipoli." 
 
 In the beginning of July the regiment had moved to 
 Gutchukiva, of which the following account is given 
 in a letter to his sister. 
 
 " Our camp is on a charming hill about fifteen miles 
 from Varna, and two or three from the upper Devna 
 lake, — with wood all round it and a running stream of 
 water. We can see the camp of the Guards and High- 
 
U SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 landers between Yarna and us, and we see Yarna on 
 one side, and a long way towards Schumla on the other. 
 The formation is limestone, which makes pretty scenery 
 over the lake, and three miles off there are curious 
 caves and columns (by some taken for basalt), which 
 grow up into pillars, and some people fancy them the 
 remains of a cyclopean town, which is a mistake. Our 
 camp is considered the most picturesque of the three, 
 and almost every tent has now a large arbour in front 
 of it, where we dine and breakfast. I have a large one 
 built of oak. I quite enjoy this country (when the day 
 is not too hot), and wander about the woods here as 
 you would do in a gentleman's place in England ; but 
 we have hard work to get provisions." {July 8, 1854.) 
 
 At a later period the 95th was quartered successively 
 at Devna, Yuhoukova, and Kostandji, small Bulgarian 
 places. Of what passed during this period, sketches 
 are given in letters, from which the following extracts 
 are selected. 
 
 " Camp near Kostandji, Srd August, 1854. — We 
 are two marches from Zuksuva, having gone to a place 
 called Soombay on the 1st, and are now encamped on 
 a hill eastward of the town of Kostandji. There is a very 
 extensive view up the country from our camp, and we 
 can see many miles beyond Paravady, and mark its 
 mountain passes on the Balkan range, — an extensive 
 plain running from Kostandji in this direction. One 
 range . of hills is continued, and forms an elevated 
 plateau towards the Danube, and seems to be a rich 
 uninteresting country, full, of hazel and oak copse, or 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 25 
 
 fields of barley, which the villagers are now reaping. 
 All the Bulgarian villages are much the same, having 
 one or two houses or cottages whitewashed and tiled, 
 the rest are hovels made of basket-work, wattled with 
 mud. Sometimes a wicker-work enclosure carried all 
 round the hut acts as a defence against marauders. 
 
 '' The national taste for good water continues, and 
 each stream of water is guided into fountains, so that 
 the country is well supplied, and a mile seldom passes 
 without finding one or two of these structures. Some 
 of the villages are better inclined to us than others, 
 and sell more liberally, but there is always great diffi- 
 culty in making purchases, as the men are usually 
 working in the fields, and the women shut themselves 
 up, and will not come forward to barter. The sutlers 
 to the army provide very few things, principally bad 
 spirits or bad wine at exorbitant prices ; and it seems 
 astonishing that there should be so little enterprise in 
 supplying troops at so short a distance from Varna. 
 As for the Commissariat, they have made no arrange- 
 ments for the carriage of the porter and other stores 
 which were sent from England for the use of the troops, 
 which would have been both seasonable and invaluable 
 for the health of the regiment. During the last two 
 days at Zuksuva cholera broke out badly in our regi- 
 ment, and we have lost seven or eight men with it and 
 fever. The 55th lost one officer, Mr. Greig, and our 
 division had a great loss in our Adjutant- General, 
 Colonel L. Maule, a brother of Lord Panmure. His 
 case was soon a fatal one. I brought him the proceed- 
 ings of a district court-martial upon Monday forenoon ; 
 
26 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 he told me to give them to Captain Lane Fox, who was 
 doing his duty for the day ; two hours after this he 
 sent for laudanum and calomel, and towards night his 
 case was reported as cholera, and his life entirely 
 despaired of; he died very early yesterday morning. I 
 am rather glad we have left the neighbourhood of the 
 lakes, as it is considered by the natives unhealthy 
 during the summer season. The troops about Varna 
 have been unhealthy, and so have the Light Division, 
 the Guards, and Highlanders. I think we caught it 
 from the draught, who lay at Varna for a few days." 
 
 '' Camp near Kostandji, 19th August, 1854. (To the 
 Rev. Augustus Noel, formerly a brother officer.) — We 
 have been kept all this time in Bulgaria without seeing 
 the enemy, in a sort of Chobham affair, and latterly 
 moving about to escape cholera and fever, which has 
 decimated the efficiency of the force we had upon first 
 arrival at Varna. Now at last we are likely to see 
 some active service, and regiments will be embarked 
 next week to an unknown destination, but generally 
 supposed to be Sebastopol. This country is much 
 more like England than Italy, but the summer is very 
 hot, and on the 9th of this month we rejoiced in the 
 temperature of 102° Fahr. under shade of our canvas. 
 The country would be magnificent with English tillage. 
 I do not know how far we can judge of the peasantry 
 in our present position, as their transactions are entirely 
 restricted to the sale of poultry and vegetables. They 
 are extremely rude and uncivilised. 
 
 " Kostandji, the City of Minarets, lies at our feet in 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 27 
 
 the plain about two miles off. It is the largest town in 
 this neighbourhood, and consists of about 30 tiled 
 cottages and perhaps 800 hovels. A dirty little ditch 
 meanders through the town, and near it are several 
 fountains with excellent water. A small Bazaar exists 
 near the principal mosque, and under a large tree 
 are various solemn looking Osmanli inhaling the 
 "weed. 
 
 " The hovels are made of wickerwork, mud, and 
 wattles, with several out-houses. These have neither 
 windows nor chimneys, and are made of basketwork. 
 The whole is surrounded by a hurdle breast-work, 
 answering the double purpose of defence, and a poultry- 
 yard. 
 
 " Here chibouk-bearing Turks abound, and females 
 wrapped up in yashmaks. The visits of the officers to 
 this town usually combine the useful with any other 
 motives, consequently they go on poney-back, with a 
 haversack across their shoulders and money in hand. 
 Ymurtak Kats-karouch ? how much do you charge 
 for eggs. Ymurtak yok, no eggs. Casse yusc yok. 
 Yok, yok, yok, get about your business. This is the 
 usual answer, until at last a civil man or more obliging 
 lady professes him or herself willing to barter. 
 
 "It is obvious from this that the true believers are 
 not very fond of us, and only respect us in the more 
 civilised town of Stamboul. In the Greek villages 
 they are still more hostile, and it is not very safe to go 
 unarmed. In the Bulgarian villages they are also at 
 first very shy, doubtless having suffered from the 
 marauding propensities of the Bashi-bazooks, but 
 
 c 2 
 
28 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 upon further acquaintance they become very ready to 
 barter, and one intelligent Bulgarian confidentially told 
 me ' English bono ; Osmanli non bono ; Moskoff bono, 
 Christiani/ In this village the men wear the Bulgarian 
 cap and garb. The women a Sclavonian dress of blue 
 stuff with coloured fringes, and a zone with brass clasp 
 round the waist. They come willingly forward and 
 barter with you. It is evident that they only respect 
 us from being Christians, and doubtless think it very 
 strange we should be at war with the Russ. 
 
 " The Bulgarians seem very ignorant, but well- 
 behaved and fond of agriculture. The Turks behave 
 well, but have a government and religion which would 
 prevent any improvement. The Greeks are a dis- 
 affected, intriguing, Russian-loving set of rogues. 
 
 " You will ere this have heard of the fire at 
 Varna, effected through the disaffected Greeks in the 
 Russian pay, and who had previously distinguished 
 themselves by firing at and even assassinating British 
 soldiers, whenever they had the opportunity. 
 
 " The lake country was far more beautiful than that 
 in our neighbourhood, but we have an extensive view 
 from our camp over the immense plain as far as Yeni- 
 bazaar, our cavalry outpost. There are large flocks of 
 sheep, horses, and cows, about this, and much barley 
 and Indian maize. 
 
 " We don't hear much of Major Nasmyth. Some of 
 our officers, in going to Silistria, had ocular demonstra- 
 tion of the way in which a Turkish officer robbed the 
 peasantry, but I doubt not that Omar Pacha is improv- 
 ing their morals very much, and in that instance the 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 29 
 
 depredator received personal chastisement from the 
 cat-o-nine-tails." 
 
 Camp near Kostandji, 2Srd August, 1854. (To 
 
 Lieutenant- Colonel Alcock.) "Colonel C passed 
 
 this two days ago, having been then one day from 
 Schumla, and only two from Giurgevo, and told one of 
 the officers, that the Russians are now in retreat across 
 the Pruth, and that the Czar appears to be coming to 
 terms ; that Omar Pacha thinks there will be nothing 
 more done, at any rate this season, and probably peace 
 proclaimed. Our long talked of expedition (notwith- 
 standing this) is not as yet countermanded, and the 
 grey and chesnut batteries of artillery attached to our 
 brigade marched this morning to Varna for embarkation. 
 From the number of gabions made by the troops, 
 for each of which fourteen pence was paid to the 
 maker, and shipped on board the transports, siege 
 operations on an extensive scale are expected, and 
 Sebastopol is the common talk. Our destination 
 remains a secret. I believe all the troops will be 
 embarked by the 28th or 29th, and we are daily 
 expecting to leave. This August was nearly as hot 
 here at its commencement as it is in Greece, and on 
 the 9th the thermometer in the hill tents stood at 102°. 
 The consequence was that cholera, which had com- 
 menced about the time I wrote to you last, committed 
 great ravages throughout the camp, and through it and 
 other diseases I expect that one tenth of the army was 
 unfit for service four days ago. Now the heat has left, 
 autumn and rain have commenced, and the sick daily 
 
30 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 improve in health ; but a great many men have died. 
 We have lost about 24 men since we left England (19 
 or 20 through cholera), and the 7th Fusiliers had lost 
 35 men four days ago. A week ago we had 80 men in 
 hospital, and 20 more convalescents unfit for active 
 service. All the other regiments of our division have 
 been brought to Turkey, from either Gibraltar and 
 Malta, and have been singularly free from disease; 
 probably being acclimatised. The 30th only lost 
 3 men (2 from cholera), and the 55th 2 officers and 
 3 men ; and they had only from 50 to 60 men each 
 unfit for service. The 5th Dragoon Guards have 
 suffered most of any corps, and the Guards and 
 Highland Brigade and Light Division, especially the 
 33rd and 7th Fusiliers. The 50th, most in Sir Eichard 
 England^s own Brigade, and one Artillery Battery. My 
 own opinion of cholera, from what I have seen, is that 
 it is infectious and contagious, and we caught it 
 through our draught from England from Varna, 
 as our first two cases occurred in the draught two days 
 after their arrival, and both proved fatal. After losing 
 8 or 9 men, our brigade was moved to a place called 
 Soombay, and we lost a man an hour after we came in, 
 and had two more cases that day. Next day we moved 
 to this, and lost men until the disease worked itself 
 out, and now appears to have left us. All our stations 
 have been apparently very healthy, and every sanitary 
 measure has been attended to. The Light Division 
 was decidedly in unhealthy ground, and improved after 
 it moved to its present station between Devna and 
 Paravady. We are on the hills towards Varna, above 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 31 
 
 and about 2 miles from Kolidschi, on the large map, 
 and have an extensive view instead of the Balkan 
 hills, and an immense plain stretching as far as 
 Yeni-bazaar. Hills here form an undulating pla- 
 teau, extending towards the Danube, and are rich 
 in corn and maize -fields, with park-like grazing 
 grounds, and low stunted woods, principally oak, with 
 large pear trees, of two kinds, bearing incredible 
 fruit, and a crab apple. Our other brigade is at 
 Soombay. 
 
 " I fear your two sisters and yourself kindly did my 
 sketch far too much honour ; for it was a mere scrawl. 
 If we go to any place of interest, I will endeavour to 
 give you more detail. 
 
 " P.S. You will have all the details of the fire at 
 Varna. It is evident there are Greeks here in the 
 Russian interest, who fired the town, and are likely the 
 same who when the camp was at Varna lived in the 
 woods about Galata, and attempted to . assassinate 
 soldiers of the artillery stationed there. A soldier of 
 the 41st was assassinated and left for dead by two Bashi- 
 bazouks, who had robbed him of his money. The 
 Turkish nations dislike us as giaours, but are perfectly 
 inoffensive. The Bulgarians like us pretty well as 
 Christians, but do not seem to like our assisting the 
 Turks. They are perfectly distinct, for the Turks in 
 physiognomy are evident Sclavonians." 
 
 *' Camp near Kostandji, 27th August, 1854. — Since 
 I last wrote preparations have been hurried on, and 
 they make no secret of the expedition to the Crimea, 
 
32 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 which will be conducted on a very large scale, includ- 
 ing French, English, and Turks. 
 
 "It is supposed that we land within seven miles 
 of Sebastopol, and that the enemy will impede our 
 disembarkation as far as possible. We carry with 
 us the means of entrenching ourselves, and shall 
 have rough work of it till we take the place. 
 Many of us will doubtless never return from this 
 expedition, and it were folly to shut one's eyes to this, 
 or for me to suppose that you can be otherwise than 
 very anxious until this affair is over ; but be of good 
 cheer, my dearest wife, and do not fear to look the 
 danger in the face, remembering that all things are in 
 His hands and of His good will ; I trust that He who 
 has brought me in health through the pestilence, will 
 also bring me through those dangers to return to you 
 and our dear children in safety ; but if it is His good 
 will that I do not return, you must not grieve, but 
 remember that one can die with as sincere faith on the 
 battle-field as in a more downy bed, and that we have 
 the same hope. But I have not sat down to anticipate 
 evil, and it is our duty under all trials (and I would 
 recommend it to you) to take a calm, cheerful, and bright, 
 view of the future, with our hearts full of love to God 
 for all His present mercies. For myself, my mind 
 feels so calm, that I am grateful to have much leisure, 
 and no thoughts but those of happiness in thinking 
 that we have only parted because it was a duty, and 
 may look forward with hope to the time when we shall 
 meet again. 
 
 " The weather has cleared up, and become as hot as 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 33 
 
 an English summer. The cholera in our brigade is 
 apparently over, and the number in hospital has 
 dwindled from eighty-two to forty-five, so that in all 
 probability we shall not leave behind more than sixty 
 men unfit for work ; and the General says, our division 
 will be among the healthiest of the army." 
 
 " Off Baltschik, Srd September, 1854, Sir Robert 
 Sale Transport. — We had a very fatiguing day yester- 
 day, breaking up camp at three o'clock in the morning, 
 and marching to Point Galeta. The Colonel embarked 
 with the Grenadiers and band in the Pyrenees trans- 
 port, and gave me the rest of the regiment to embark 
 on board the screw man-of-war steamer Inflexible. 
 This is a good ship, although coarsely fitted up ; and 
 I was astonished to find how much I enjoyed the 
 luxuries of even a small vessel like this after camp life. 
 A good table and firm seats were generally appreciated, 
 and as to fare, white bread and English butter seemed 
 extraordinary delicacies. Sleep undisturbed by the 
 neighing and fighting of camp ponies was delightful. 
 Before embarking yesterday, Sir G. Brown's aide-de- 
 camp told us, that we should land so far from Sebas- 
 topol, that they hoped to effect a landing without 
 fighting. He says that our numbers have been exag- 
 gerated, and that we shall not have more than 60,000 
 in all ; and at present embark about 23,000 English, 
 about 24,000 French, and 7000 Turks ; but a second 
 reinforcement of our heavy cavalry and of French 
 troops will follow. The navy here say our fleet, when 
 all assembled, will amount to about 900 vessels of all 
 
 c 3 
 
34 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 kinds, and will be the largest fleet ever assembled. 
 All the large men-of-war, with a very few exceptions, 
 are lying off this port, and look very imposing. 
 Baltschik is a wretched dirty little town. It is not 
 intended now that the fleet should leave this place 
 before Tuesday next. The French seem less advanced 
 in embarkation than we are. I expect we shall meet 
 with great difiiculties and hardships upon landing, on 
 account of baggage, as our baggage-animals have been 
 left behind to come on some weeks hence. Colonel 
 W. came on board yesterday to say that our chargers 
 had gone to Baltschik by the wrong ships, and would 
 have to be transferred to the Fernandia." 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 35 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 THE CRIMEA. 
 
 On the 7th of September the magnificent fleet of the 
 allies left Baltschik with its gallant freight full of im- 
 patience to commence operations ; on the 12th it was 
 off the Crimea with all the land from Sebastopol to 
 Eupatoria in sight ; the weather as rainy, stormy, 
 and cold as in October in England. 
 
 On the 11th Major Champion, in a letter to Colonel 
 Alcock, describes the then state of the expedition in 
 the following words : 
 
 " I am here (on board the Sir Robert Sale) with our 
 Light Company, 121 strong; and Quartermaster and 
 Captain Barthby's demi-field-battery of artillery; 65 
 men, 58 horses, 2 guns. We left Baltschik on the 
 7th, and are, I suppose, the most magnificent invading 
 fleet on record, but our number, not more than 60,000, 
 appears to me to be too small for such an undertaking. 
 I have been able to get an ofiicial programme of the 
 transport sailing order which wiU give you a good idea 
 of the English portion, not including the fleet, in which 
 there are three three-deckers, the Britannia, Queen, 
 and London, Lord Eaglan is in the Caradoc. 
 
36 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 Heads of divisions are in front, the light division 
 taking the left, the first, second, third, and fourth, and 
 then the French transports. The other ships follow 
 the heads of their divisions, so that we may call our- 
 selves a mass of contiguous columns, left in front. 
 On starting we steamed out with a fair wind at four 
 and a half knots an hour, and were in pretty compact 
 order the next day, having had full moon at night. 
 But the day after, with change of weather and a dark 
 night, we were very straggling and going at two and 
 three quarter knots an hour, and it took six or seven 
 hours to assemble at our place of rendezvous. An 
 active enemy (not afraid to fight our men-of-war) might 
 have annoyed us much and damaged our troop-ships. 
 The anchoring of such a large fleet in the midst of the 
 ocean without any appearance of land around has 
 struck ever}^ one as something quite novel, but I can- 
 not myself understand the advantages of such pro- 
 crastination, or why we were not brought direct to our 
 landing place from Baltschik." 
 
 On the 14th the troops landed without opposition, 
 and marched some miles into the country, when they 
 bivouacked on a large plain, well adapted for fighting, 
 but without wood, and badly supplied with water. It 
 was dark when they halted, and lay down in quarter 
 distance column, ready to deploy into a general line if 
 required. It rained very hard at intervals during the 
 night, but the next day was hot and sunny so that the 
 the army had everything dried. In a letter dated the 
 16th, he writes thus to his wife : — 
 
 " I went to a village some miles off, and foraged ; we 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 37 
 
 are very particular in paying the inhabitants for 
 everything we get, but the French had plundered and 
 destroyed almost everything. They came into a house 
 where B. and I were, and made the people give them 
 provisions, for which they paid nothing. I asked them, 
 if they were not going to pay, and they only laughed. 
 Such is war. I have stood the two nights very well, 
 and am quite well and strong this morning, with a 
 fine day before us. If we can only get our tents and 
 horses we shall be quite comfortable, but it is hard 
 work sleeping in the open air and heavy dews, and to 
 carry bedding on the line of march. Yesterday I had 
 nothing to wash with, and had ditchwater to drink. 
 To-day both washed and had better water. One feels 
 thankful to God, and a sincere love for His kindness, to 
 have been made a hardy soldier. As I think I told you 
 before, be of good heart, and pray for me, as I do that 
 He will be my protection and hope, whether in life or 
 death ; I assure you we cannot be unhappy when we 
 trust in his goodness. May God bless you and our dear 
 children ! I have much comfort in thinking of you." 
 
 And now approached the beginning of that mighty 
 struggle, which, we hope, is to repay us for all our 
 melancholy losses by emancipating the Eastern Chris- 
 tians, while it paralyses for ever the barbarous power 
 that, under the plea of religion, is stealing onwards 
 in search of universal dominion. Neither the 95th nor 
 any one of its officers, except Dr. Gordon, had ever been 
 under fire ; many of the men were little better than 
 raw recruits ; all they knew of a soldier's life was the 
 easy duty of a garrison, or the slight discomforts of a 
 
38 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 peaceful camp. Wounds, sickness, cold, hunger, and 
 death were close at hand, but not one gallant heart 
 shrunk from the encounter. They felt that the eyes of 
 the world were turned upon the mighty expedition of 
 which they formed a part, and they resolved to show 
 themselves worthy of it, and of the well-loved country 
 that had sent them forth. At the Alma they were to 
 receive their military baptism, and a bloody one it 
 proved. 
 
 On the 20th of September, six days after landing, 
 the allies attacked the enemy in a position which would 
 have been impregnable to other troops. In three 
 hours a river was forded, a plain passed in the face 
 of batteries which had ascertained the range of every 
 object, heights bristling with cannon and swarming 
 with old troops were triumphantly carried, the enemy's 
 position was stormed, and the great force on which 
 the Czar had relied for the extermination of the 
 invaders dissolved into an armed multitude flying from 
 the field it had lost. 
 
 In this memorable action the 95th were most con- 
 spicuous, and their loss enormous : only exceeded by 
 that of the 23rd ; out of twenty- six officers who went 
 into the action, only eight came out of it unwounded. 
 It was the Derbies who first entered the Russian bat- 
 teries and captured the only gun that was not carried 
 oif, no cavalry having followed up the victory in pur- 
 suit.* The first hurried lines received by Mrs. Cham- 
 pion after the event tell the story briefly : — 
 
 * It has "been generally said that the late Lieut- Colonel Pakenham, a 
 most gallant officer of the Grenadier Gfuards, was the first to lay his hands 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 39 
 
 " 21st September, 1854. — Thank God, I am safe and 
 well. We had fearful work yesterday at the Battle of 
 the Alma. Six officers killed and twelve wounded. I 
 stuck to the colours to the last, and by the mercy of 
 God repulsed the enemy, though reduced to merely ten 
 or twelve of our men near me. The Colonel, I am 
 sorry to say, is wounded, and I took the regiment out of 
 action." 
 
 The following is a copy of the report made by 
 Major Champion to Brigadier General Pennefather on 
 this occasion, taken from a draught in pencil, found 
 among Colonel Champion's papers — 
 
 *'BivouACK Belbek, 
 
 ''Sept. 20th, 1854. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " The 95th regiment having lost the valuable 
 services of Lieut. -Colonel Webber Smith, who was 
 wounded after passing the river Alma, it devolves upon 
 me as next senior officer to bring forward to your 
 notice for the information of the Lieut. -General, com- 
 manding the 2nd division, the names of officers, non- 
 commissioned officers, and soldiers who particularly 
 distinguished themselves in the action of the 20th. 
 
 " Where all behaved well it is difficult to com- 
 memorate individual prowess, but I shall feel favoured 
 by your recommendation of the services of Major H. 
 Hume, who after crossing the river had a horse shot 
 under him, headed the attack upon the Russian main 
 
 upon this trophy ; but it is now admitted that Major Heyland, with some 
 of the 95th, had preceded the Gfuards, although eventually forced to 
 relinquish their hold of the piece. 
 
40 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 outwork and carried the colours of the regiment during 
 the hardest struggle. H^ received a shot through his 
 epaulette producing contusion. To his valuable 
 assistance in extending a firm front to the enemy, 
 whilst pressed in large bodies in front and flank, I feel 
 greatly indebted for the prominent place you found 
 the regiment in at the crisis of victory. Brevet Major 
 Heyland, I regret to say, was severely wounded after 
 having gallantly pressed forward to his left in the 
 outworks, and taken a 32 -pound brass howitzer from 
 the enemy. Lieut. Macdonald received a concussion on 
 the chest from a rifle bullet, w^hich remains lodged in 
 the ornament of his light company accoutrement."^ 
 Ensign Brooke continued to press on in the midst of 
 the hardest struggle after receiving a wound whilst 
 carrying the colours, which must have greatly disabled 
 him, and only left the field after the crisis of the day. 
 To Capt. Davis (who received the colours from Major 
 Hume after his epaulette was struck), to Captain 
 Sargent and Lieut. Morgan (grenadiers), I feel much 
 indebted for determined bravery. 
 
 " I have to regret the loss of the valuable services 
 by death of Capt. Dowdall, Capt. Eddington, Lieut. E. 
 Eddington, Lieut. Polhill, Lieut, and Adjutant Kings- 
 ley, all most deserving oflicers. Lieut. Eddington was 
 killed by my side and had just sustained another 
 wound. Ensigns Bazalgette and Braybrook were 
 wounded whilst carrying the colours ; Capt. Wing, 
 
 * Lieut, now Capt. Macdonald was dangerously hurt at Inkerman having 
 received sixteen bayonet wounds, hut is recovering. He acted as Adjutant 
 to Major Champion after Alma. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 41 
 
 Lieut. Garrard, Ensign Boothby were all wounded in 
 the meritorious discharge of their duties. Lieut. Bray- 
 brooke, Ceylon Rifles, is most dangerously wounded. 
 
 " Surgeon Gordon was at one time in great peril of 
 life. The regiment is greatly indebted to him for his 
 strenuous exertions in attending to the wounded, and 
 the advantage of his experience in former campaigns. 
 He speaks favourably of the assistant surgeons of the 
 regiment, who assisted him in the care of the wounded. 
 
 " The general behaviour of the 95th regiment 
 immediately under fire I would 
 
 particularly bring to your notice the names of " 
 {Here the paper is so much defaced, that it 
 cannot he read,) 
 
 '^ Having already forwarded the nominal list of killed 
 and wounded, 
 
 " I have the honour to be, &c." 
 
 Some personal details, given in subsequent letters, 
 will be read with the deepest interest. The passages 
 which have been selected show how unflinching was 
 his courage, how firm his faith in a superintending 
 Providence, and how sincere his regard for the brother- 
 officers he had loved so well, and so suddenly lost. 
 
 " Balaklava, 27th September, 1854. — This day last 
 week the great battle of the Alma was fought, and you 
 would receive a few lines from me after the action. 
 Our Colonel has gone to Scutari, so that I have been 
 in command since, and the General has been kind 
 enough to say, that he has mentioned both Hume and 
 
42 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 myself favourably for our conduct during the battle. 
 The Eussians were commanded by Prince Menschikoif, 
 and lost 6,000 killed and wounded. Since then the 
 campaign has been a hard one — we have outmanoeuvred 
 the enemy without coming to actions of any great 
 consequence. A most fatiguing march two days ago 
 forced Prince Menschikoff on Simpheropol, and placed 
 us on the southern side of Sebastopol at this place, 
 which we took almost without opposition, and are now 
 landing our siege train ; it is supposed that Sebastopol 
 will be taken without much difficulty from its rear^ and 
 our endeavours will be to do so before the Eussian 
 army at Perekop joins Prince Menschikoff. The 
 Eussians seem much discouraged at their defeat ; they 
 expected to have held the Alma for three weeks against 
 us in place of three hours. Our army loses a great 
 many hands daily from sickness and the hardships of 
 our bivouack life, but we have got into a good country 
 now, full of ripe grapes, of which we pull and eat as 
 many as we like, and we have excellent water. How 
 truly glad I shall be to hear of you again, my dearest 
 wife ; may the Almighty, who has been so kind, protect 
 you from all harm." 
 
 "Bivouack, Sebastopol, Srd October, 1854. — You 
 may conceive my joy at a mail, and receiving no less 
 than four letters ; I wish I could write, but I am still 
 as I was, and cannot even get paper for official letters 
 and returns. We have been landing our siege train 
 for the last week, the troops meanwhile investing the 
 place just out of shelling range on a hill. I got an 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 43 
 
 excellent view of the whole of Sebastopol when on 
 piquet the other day ; the garrison are busy throwing 
 up new batteries, and attempt to shell us every day. I 
 think the place will be taken in four or five days after 
 the siege commences, but we shall lose a good many 
 men. I think our brigade is too weak to bear the 
 brunt of this affair as it did at the Alma. You must 
 be of good heart, and remember that nothing can 
 happen to me but of the good will of the Almighty, 
 who has already guided me in safety through so much 
 danger and pestilence. All the old general officers say 
 they never saw hotter fire than at Alma, and all our 
 officers in the 95th think their preservation most 
 wonderful and providential ; Major Hume's epaulette 
 was shot through, and Macdonald carries a minie bullet 
 which struck and lodged in his light company's orna- 
 ments just on his breast. My arm was black and blue 
 next day from the fragment of a shell; twice large 
 shot fell close to me, covering me with dirt, and a 
 soldier saw another ball go within an inch of my head. 
 The showers of minie balls I went through untouched 
 seems to me a most providential escape. Captain 
 Dowdall had his arm carried off by a cannon-ball, and 
 breast shattered ; he died before night. Captain 
 Eddington was shot through the throat by a rifle- 
 bullet, and died shortly after ; his brother was killed 
 by my side, shot through the head, and died instan- 
 taneously, with the sweetest smile imaginable. Polhill 
 was killed by grape-shot, much disfigured. Poor 
 Kingsley shot through the head, but lived a short 
 time in great pain ; he was my chum latterly, and I 
 
U SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 regret him much, as a fine soldier and pleasant person. 
 Colonel Braybrooke's son, in the Ceylon Eifles (attached 
 to us), had his leg amputated from the hip -joint, and 
 died some days after the amputation. 
 
 " General Pennefather, has, I believe, reported favour- 
 ably both of myself and Major Hume. He told me the 
 other day I was very fortunate in leading the regiment 
 out of action, and that he hoped it would give me my 
 brevet Lieutenant- Colonelcy, and make me a C.B. I 
 told General Pennefather, that we had not yet finished, 
 and that perhaps I might not survive Sebastopol ; and 
 I begged of him, if anything happened to me, he would 
 interest himself for you and my children ; he was very 
 kind, and said I should find a friend in him. You must 
 not suppose from this that I anticipate misfortune. 
 I put my full confidence in God ; He has saved me 
 in every way, and has given me a cheerful disposition 
 through every privation and hardship. Here is the 
 Drum-major for our letters. May God bless you." 
 
 In a letter, dated Oct. 11, to his brother, Captain 
 Champion of the 24th Bombay Native Infantry, he enters 
 into further particulars of so much interest, that it is 
 printed without alteration, notwithstanding some repe- 
 titions. — " I have long intended to send you a detailed 
 account of the Battle of the Alma, but I have been 
 always interrupted. We left our night bivouack, ex- 
 pecting to find the enemy on the Alma, and were halted 
 towards nine or ten o'clock, and lay down in a hot sun 
 till twelve o'clock. A little before one o'clock we were 
 on the heights above the Alma, and deployed into 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 45 
 
 double line, the First Division in front of us. We con- 
 tinued to advance until we got past the line of the First 
 Division, and found ourselves within range of the 
 enemy's batter^^and had several men killed ; we were 
 then ordered to lie down, and a stunning fire of round 
 shot, grape, and shell kept playing upon us. Here 
 Dowdall had his arm carried off by grape-shot, and 
 died' at night ; eight or ten minutes after the Grey 
 Battery attached to us came to the opening to our 
 right, and played from where we were on the battery 
 across the bridge, and this brought the whole fire of 
 the enemy right over my head on the right of the line, 
 and I lay momently expecting that my head would 
 be carried off, but, by the mercy of God, I escaped : 
 
 • one shot was within an inch of my head, two dashed 
 the earth all over me, and my arm was blackened 
 by the fragments of a shell. The Grey Battery, 
 upon the whole, got the worst of it. After lying 
 nearly twenty minutes, we got word to advance. The 
 fire became terrific, and the right got under cover, and 
 lay down under a wall^The three right companies I 
 directed to dash under a ruined house, where I found 
 General Pennefather and the 55th. We then lost ^ght 
 of the rest of the line, but upon its advancing^nboth 
 the 55th and my companies deployed into line, and 
 the 95th crossing a fearful fire of grape and musketry 
 from the open causeway, got under the wall ^ with the 
 rest of the line, and lay down by mistake. I went with 
 a few men of the 55th underhand again crossed the 
 
 ^ terrific fire, and lay down with my regiment. How I 
 escaped I cannot tell, as the bullets were in showers. 
 
46 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 Soon after this, Sargent and others headed the men 
 over the wall, and we went through a heavy fire down 
 the bank, and through the rivulet, which, although 
 narrow, came up to my waist. One or two men with 
 picks and ammunition were weighed down and drowned 
 (perhaps shot also), and a great many men had their 
 ammunition quite damaged and wetted. I got up a very 
 steep clay bank with some difficulty, and found the 95th 
 and 23rd all mixed up together, sheltered under a very 
 steep hill.^Here I saw our colonel and colours, and got 
 up the bank a little above them. Both the 23rd and 95th 
 hung back a little, and did not seem inclined to face 
 the fire they must meet on the crest of the hill. A few 
 recruits were firing from the river at random over the 
 hill, although their fire touched nothing. A cry now 
 came that the enemy were coming down the hill, and 
 would fire into us. I called energetically upon the 
 men to get up to the crest and fire over, and step back 
 and reload: both regiments hung back. " Come, 95th, 
 show them the way ! " A rush then took place ; and 
 our men, instead of waiting on the crest, dashed on 
 through a withering fire. Here the Colonel was 
 wounded, the two Eddingtons and Polhill killed. Wing 
 wounded, and a great slaughter of our men. Young 
 Eddington fell by my side with a most sweet expression. 
 I saw little more, but pressed on, and got into the 
 battery to our left, from which the enemy were driven 
 by our advance. There was a fine brass howitzer 
 deserted by the enemy, and which Heyland had first 
 taken, keeping a little to our right. I rejoined our 
 colours with a line of 300 to 400 of the 95th, the 23rd 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 47 
 
 fighting to our right. The rest of our men joined the 
 23rd and 7th, both near us. We fired into a fine 
 regiment (the 31st Imperial Guard) on our front. The 
 slaughter on both sides was terrific ; then we were also 
 taken in flank by the Eussian 32nd, and their cross- 
 fire dealt destruction to the 23rd and ourselves. Several 
 regiments were fighting to our right. At length they 
 retired, and the 23rd and ourselves reluctantly and last 
 retired also ; but a strong relief of regiments in echelon 
 on the left was advancing to our succour. Hume 
 seized a colour and fronted, and every officer with us 
 did what was in his power to rally the men. Some 
 fifty fine fellows crowded round the colours. We had 
 five sergeants shot with them, and four officers wounded. 
 The 7th lost one of their colours for some minutes. We 
 stood firm, but a charge from the enemy must have anni- 
 hilated us. The enemy was cowed. There was a strong 
 wall of Guards and Highlanders advancing to our relief. 
 The First Division Guards, ScStch Fusileers, I believe, 
 on the left were up first, and we let them pass us, but 
 they could not stand the withering fire, and retreated 
 back to us. The other battalions came up proudly as 
 a rock, and the enemy reeled under their fire. A 
 Guardsman beckoned to our handful to fill up a gap 
 between two regiments of Guards ; when we did, the 
 enemy retired, and we all followed: the victory was 
 ours. Then we were all, officers and men, shaking 
 hands, for our escape seemed to be beyond our most 
 sanguine hopes. General Pennefather came up, and 
 we cheered him. We then advanced up the hill, ^ 
 the Horse Artillery playing on the retreating columns 
 
48 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 of the enemy. Their rout was complete, and they 
 retired at once on Simpheropol, leaving us to bury their 
 dead and take care of their wounded. I remember 
 passing over the heaps of slaughtered Kussians where 
 the 31st (Kussians) had been mostly shot through the 
 head. I never saw the field in cool blood, for my 
 duties kept me quite a prisoner to camp for the two 
 following days, and I am glad of it. We all assembled 
 on the plain above the heights and cheered Lord 
 Baglan ; and were marched back to position on the 
 west of the Sebastopol side of the Alma. I know 
 very little what the French did, except that they took 
 their part. * * * The Eussians say they expected 
 us to fight like men, but that we fought like devils. 
 The enemy had the ranges of their guns fixed up above 
 the Alma." 
 
 From the battle of the Alma till the 26th October, 
 the correspondence relates chiefly to little events of 
 camp life. 
 
 " BivouACK, NEAR Sebastopol, 1th Octoher, 1854. — 
 Great was my joy when on picquet yesterday to get 
 your letter of the 17th September. Nothing particular 
 has occurred since I wrote last. Our division has been 
 moved from the extreme left near the sea to the extreme 
 right — a move we do not like, as the water is distant 
 and muddy ; no grapes, and constant annoyance from 
 the enemy's fire and picquets — our picquets being much 
 harassed both by day and night. You may fancy that 
 we are all very tired and anxious for the siege, having 
 slept nightly in the clothes we landed in, booted and 
 spurred, and red-coats. Two days ago we got tents, 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 49 
 
 which makes a great difference to our health, and I 
 feel really well to-day, although just off picquet, with 
 a very heavy dew last night. I had an attack of 
 diarrhoea last week, which I cured by eating of rice 
 plentifully ; and I have succeeded in getting a bottle 
 of curry-powder and a tin of hare-soup from the ships, 
 which will be of great use in case of illness. I am 
 trying to get a bottle of wine. I get on rather badly 
 on salt-pork days, but they now give us plenty of rice, 
 and this can be eaten with curry, ration brown sugar, 
 and rum. I take coffee in the morning, but cannot 
 drink the tea, and eat very little of the biscuit. When 
 they give us mutton it makes soup and meat, which is 
 really nourishing. We are under arms from an hour 
 before sunrise. 
 
 " Evening, — Our mail is to be made up to-night. 
 The Russians made an attempt to-day on Balaklava, 
 but were immediately repulsed by the horse artillery. 
 I am writing on a small barrel, which is quite a luxury, 
 after having had nothing to eat off for many days. We 
 have no baggage yet. The 95th is reduced to 412 
 effective men, not quite half our proper strength, and 
 has only eight doing duty and staff officers. High- 
 flyer is a little better, but still weak and ill ; however 
 I hope to save him. The ponies are still at Varna ; 
 they ought to have been with us. The French manage 
 much better, and look like gentlemen; whilst there 
 are not a dozen English officers with the army who 
 have the means of having their boots blacked, and our 
 coats are thread-bare and torn, sashes in pieces, and 
 epaulets all torn. 
 
50 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 " How much I have to thank God that he has 
 enabled me to go cheerfully through this, and that 
 the weather upon the whole has been very fine. There 
 is a sort of majesty at night in sleeping under the 
 high vault of the sky, looking at the bright moon and 
 innumerable stars and planets, and seeing the meteors 
 (which are very numerous here) shoot through the 
 atmosphere. God appears great in his magnificence, 
 and man contemptible. I think you must go to the 
 book of Job to realise what one feels when stript 
 nearly to his primitive nakedness. Upon the whole 
 the military character appears to best advantage under 
 present circumstances, and I see fine fellows who 
 support the good old English name, and who will do 
 so to the end. 
 
 [Written in Pencil,] — "Camp near Sebastopol, 12th 
 OctoheVy 1854. — Our guns are now all landed, and are 
 placing in position. We expect our cannonade to 
 commence in a very few days. The enemy have fired 
 an immense number of shot and shell at our army 
 without farther damage than killing two men and 
 wounding two others; but of course we are scarcely 
 within their range at present. We are under arms 
 almost every night, from some picquet attack or false 
 alarm. The weather has been very pleasant, with the 
 exception of two days so cold that we expected snow. 
 We have now tents, which makes every difference to 
 the health at night, and we only sleep in the open air 
 on the picquets. T fear there is no chance of our 
 
 baggage until after we take Sebastopol. Y brought 
 
 us up a hundred men from Scutari a few days ago. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 51 
 
 and we have also received our second chargers, which 
 gives me the white pony looking very well. 
 
 ** Dr. Gordon has been very ill with fever, and was 
 quite given up. I sent him home as soon as he could 
 be moved, and he is now on board ship at Balaklava. 
 I have seen a good deal of him during the campaign, 
 and have a high opinion of him ; he worked most 
 assiduously after the battle, and I fear then laid the 
 seeds of his fever. Every one will be glad when this 
 life is over, as we are leading the lives of soldiers 
 rather than of officers ; but it is less hard than you 
 would suppose when the health is good, and I like the 
 active life which the command of a regiment forces on 
 one. It is very difficult to write upon a book lying 
 down, and I cannot yet purchase pens or ink, and have 
 to beg my envelopes and directions. I think I should 
 like the Crimea ver^^ much if we were differently cir- 
 cumstanced. Many is the prayer I breathe for you. 
 
 [Written in Pencil] — "Before Sebastopol, ISth 
 October, 1854. — Yesterday the allied batteries being 
 completed, opened fire on Sebastopol early in the 
 morning, and continued until dusk. The fire on both 
 sides was magnificent. The French met with some 
 loss, and had some guns dismounted, and an ammuni- 
 tion magazine blew up, killing one hundred of their 
 men. They also ran short of ammunition, and will not 
 be in a serviceable state, I hear, until to-morrow. Our 
 fire was very satisfactory, as we dismounted all the 
 guns in a brown tower, our principal opponent, and 
 blew up a large Eussian magazine in the naval dock- 
 yard. We had no guns dismounted, and very small 
 
 D 2 
 
62 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 loss from the cannonade, but had one tumbril blown 
 up. The Russians, I believe, had two tumbrils blown 
 up. The fleet came up about noon, and kept up fire 
 on Fort Constantine, but I cannot hear with what 
 success. We were watching the cannonade most of 
 the day with great curiosity. I think matters look 
 well, but it will be by no means the short and easy 
 matter which * * * * so sanguinely expected. The 
 French guns are lighter, and evidently not a match 
 for the Russians, and they compete well with ours, and 
 have all their shipping unsilenced within the harbour. 
 I have been quite well since I wrote. The work has 
 been very severe, and both officers and men are very 
 much done up with it, and some have died of cholera 
 and jaundice. In the trenches we are continually 
 shelled, and on picquet have night attacks of the 
 Russians to repulse; but, thank God, the regiment 
 has so far escaped without a single casualty by war 
 since the Alma. One night I was ordered with a 
 working party of two hundred unarmed men (95th) to 
 a battery under the guidanoe; of a young engineer 
 officer, who lost his way, passed the battery, and got 
 so near Sebastopol, that it was quite providential that 
 we were not all taken prisoners. Having gone a little 
 beyond the party, he was challenged by the outlying 
 Russian picquet, but some way got off without their 
 firing upon him. We were close by, but retreated so 
 silently that the picquet did not hear us ; we were 
 however shelled from the town. 
 
 " Before Sebastopol, 22nd October, 1854. — We 
 have continued a very heavy cannonade since I last 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 53 
 
 wrote, and upon the whole have the best of it ; but 
 very little impression has been made, and every one 
 says that the place can only be taken by assault. The 
 fatigue to every one is very great — continual duty day 
 and night. We lose men and officers in the trenches, 
 but from what we can collect from deserters, the 
 Russians lose many more than we do. I daily thank 
 God for great mercy through all this. We had a very 
 comforting service this forenoon, and excellent dis- 
 course. The clergyman had been much struck by the 
 cheerfulness and patient endurance of the wounded. 
 All the 95th have so far escaped, except one man 
 slightly scratched by a shell when on picquet with me 
 yesterday ; and young Smith, who had a narrow escape 
 from a shell which wounded him in the head." 
 
 It was not long before the tedium of trench-work 
 and picquet duty was to be exchanged for something 
 more exciting. On the 25th of October took place the 
 fight of Balaclava, in which the light cavalry performed 
 that magnificent deed of useless daring, which gave 
 immortality to all engaged. The check sustained by 
 the enemy on this memorable day seems to have led the 
 Russian commander to attempt to revive the spirits 
 of his men by an infantry attack in force, made with 
 great skill upon our weakest point, the Inkermann ridge. 
 Here they were received by the 2nd division, under the 
 command of that distinguished General Sir De Lacy 
 Evans, whose prompt plan of defence was most ably 
 carried out by the officers and men under his command. 
 On the morning of the 26th of October, the Russians 
 
54 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 advanced with a body of infantry, estimated at 8,000, 
 with twenty-three guns. The outlying picquets held 
 their ground with undaunted resolution against this 
 overwhelming force till their ammunition was nearly 
 expended, when the artillery and 2nd division arrived 
 to their support. The Russians were then driven back 
 headlong, nearly up to the walls of Sebastopol, leaving 
 " lots of their men prisoners." On this occasion Major 
 Champion greatly distinguished himself. He was in 
 command of the picquet, which lost 7 killed, and an 
 officer and 24 wounded, out of a force about 240 
 strong. When the attack was made, he promptly 
 threw the men into skirmishing order. As the enemy 
 pushed on he offered the most determined resistance, 
 and only fell back when it was no longer necessary to 
 hold the ground. An eye-witness describes him as 
 standing on the top of a kind of stone barrier on the road, 
 indifferent alike to the extreme proximity of the enemy, 
 and their violent fire, cheering on his soldiers, waving 
 his hand, and vehemently exclaiming, " Slate them, my 
 boys — slate them, my boys.'* His private account of 
 the affair is given thus in a letter. 
 
 '^Before Sebastopol, 27th October, 1854. — I can- 
 not tell you my inexpressible joy, after returning from 
 another severe action yesterday, to get your dear letter, 
 written after receipt of my note from the field at Alma. 
 I came heated and flushed from a hard-won field, where 
 I had braved death with a prayer to the Almighty, and 
 looked upon death with the hardened eye of a soldier. 
 I could not repress my feelings when I read your dear 
 
LIEUT.-COL. CHAMPION. 55 
 
 words, and I felt the tears come into my eyes as I 
 looked to a beautiful sunset in the west, where I knew 
 you were ; and much did I pray for you, and sweet was 
 the comfort I felt in thanking the Almighty that we 
 were spared to each other again. I was field-officer on 
 picquet yesterday, with 240 men under me, and our 
 position was attacked by a battery of field-artillery and 
 8000 men from Sebastopol. They masked their 
 approach by attacking the 49th picquet in front of me 
 by a few skirmishers, who retreated and drew off the 
 49th. I had taken up position to support the 49th, so 
 was quite ready ; but you may judge of my astonish- 
 ment when I saw the guns and a large body of men 
 dividing to turn my two flanks. Colonel Herbert, who 
 has just left, had told me, in case of the 49th being 
 driven in, to hold the position as long as possible. I 
 need not tell you all the details, but we met the enemy 
 boldly, pitching into his artillery until it was sufficiently 
 advanced to play upon us ; then I retired the picquets 
 behind the crest, and fought their foot-soldiers until 
 the artillery could be brought up, by which time all 
 my picquets were concentrating towards me, and we 
 made a general rush to the barrier of our main picquet, 
 where we defended ourselves vigorously against the 
 swarms of Russians now appearing everywhere except 
 in our rear ; and we stood with artillery and rifles until 
 all our ammunition was at the last ebb. I knew that 
 succour must come shortly, and sent to say how hard 
 we were pressed. Then I told the men that supports 
 were coming up to us, and I made them cheer and fix 
 bayonets, which daunted the Russians, who had nearly 
 
66 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 driven us out by turning one flank. I tried to get up 
 a charge, but it was too much for human nature, and 
 the few men I had with me ; but they advanced a 
 little, firing a few shots, and the Kussians fell back. 
 Then came the cheering sound of our guns crowning 
 the hill behind us, and pouring showers of grape. The 
 division all formed in battle order, came up, and the 
 retreat of the Kussians was an accomplished fact. They 
 were forced back with great loss, the light company 
 driving them along to the very walls of Sebastopol. 
 The 95th lost one man and nine wounded. My picquet 
 had seven men killed, and one officer and twenty-four 
 men wounded. We killed and wounded many, and 
 took about twenty prisoners. After they were in the 
 hands of the artillery and our division their loss was 
 very great, and it is supposed to be seven or eight 
 hundred men ; and many prisoners were taken. Sir 
 De Lacy Evans and General Pennefather were very 
 complimentary, and have made me write a despatch. 
 * * * I saw one young Kussian officer 
 
 whom we had killed on the ridge, and whose corpse 
 bore a gentleman-like and noble expression. It is 
 reported that Prince Gortschakoff commanded, and 
 was wounded during the action. The day before a 
 large force came from the country, and attacked our 
 troops at Balaklava, &c. * * * j g^^-^ 
 
 corpses yesterday of the 17th and 34th Kussian 
 regiments, who had been engaged at Alma. The siege 
 goes on very slowly on this side, but it is intended to 
 be pushed on by the French side ; and perhaps a week 
 more may enable the assault to be made. * * * 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 57 
 
 Only think of our having candles now to write 
 by ! But I must say good-bye, as I am just warned 
 for a working party at Gordon's Battery at half-past 
 eleven." 
 
 The following is a copy of the despatch alluded to : — 
 
 To Brigadier- General Pennefather. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, 
 
 October 27iky 1854. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 I do myself the honour to report that yester- 
 day forenoon, upon ascertaining that the 49th picquets 
 were engaged with the enemy's skirmishers to their 
 front and in advance of the ridge of the hill crowned 
 by the strong knoll, I instructed the officers of three 
 companies of my picquets to advance under the brow 
 of the ridge, and extend so as to be in readiness to 
 repel an advance of the enemy. The light company 
 was particularly directed to guard against the enemy's 
 turning its right flank. The 4th company I left behind 
 the gorge in its original position to guard it and the 
 battery. 
 
 " When the enemy had advanced in sufficient force 
 to drive in the 49th picquet, I observed a battery of 
 artillery, supported by a strong force in mass, emerging 
 through an opening under the knoll, and advanced a 
 small party in extended order under colour-sergeant 
 Sullivan,* 30th regiment, to annoy them as long as they 
 
 * Since rewarded for his conspicuous gallantry with an ensigncy. 
 
 D 3 
 
58 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 could do so with impunity, a duty he performed to my 
 perfect satisfaction. 
 
 '' The enemy advanced for the purpose of establish- 
 ing himself on my left flank, and the picquet directed a 
 good fire upon them as long as it could be done with- 
 out endangering our flank. I at the same time received 
 a message to say that a large mass was going from 
 Sebastopol by Inkermann to turn our right flank and 
 advance up the gorge to our main picquet. 
 
 " In consequence I directed a retreat to be made on 
 the barrier of the main picquet. To give time for 
 picquets to collect, I halted at a proper distance to fire 
 upon the enemy when crossing the crest, and we gave 
 an efficient fire, which I have reason to suppose killed 
 a Eussian officer and many men. At last the artillery 
 playing very sharply on us, and our left flank being 
 endangered, we retired with all expedition to the 
 barrier, where the three companies collected and con- 
 tinued to keep up a fire until relief came and our 
 ammunition was expended. By this time we were 
 hard pressed and my right company driven in to the 
 other three companies. 
 
 " As soon as relief was arriving and the Eussians in 
 retreat, I directed the picquet with fixed bayonets to run 
 down the road to assist in cutting off such of the 
 enemy as were in the gorge. Captain Atcherley, whilst 
 gallantly heading this party, was severely wounded in 
 the arm. I trust that under the very heavy fire we 
 were exposed to, you will not consider our defence 
 dearly purchased by the loss of seven men killed, and 
 one officer and twenty-four men wounded. Indeed, the 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 59 
 
 enemy's field battery must have fired very ill to enable 
 us to escape so well, and his loss appears to have 
 been great. Captain Ateherley, Lieutenant Green, and 
 Lieutenant Boscawen, were in command of parties 
 engaged, and carried out their instructions to my 
 perfect satisfaction. 
 
 "I also beg to report favourably the conduct of 
 colour-sergeant Sullivan, and sergeant William Jamie- 
 son, and of the men of the 30th generally, who were 
 particularly anxious to meet with your approbation. 
 The remainder of the 30th came to our support before 
 the end of our affair, and I regret to say that Captain 
 Baillie was wounded. 
 
 " I have the honour 
 
 " To be. Sir, 
 *' Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 "J. G. Champion," 
 
 Major 95tli Regiment, commandiiig picquet, 1st brigade, 
 2nd division, on 26th October, 1854. 
 
 Such is the external view of the noble conduct dis- 
 played by Major Champion. But there was another 
 and very different side of the picture. On the 26th he 
 was among the coolest under sudden danger, the 
 boldest and most resolute .in imminent peril, the 
 fiercest in the charge, and the most daring in pursuit, 
 cheering on his hardy fellows, till the very walls of 
 the beleaguered fortress could alone withstand the rush. 
 On the 28th he wrote thus to his sister : — 
 
 "I go through this work cheerfully, and God has 
 been kind in giving me now good health and every 
 
60 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 other blessing, but I cannot really like it, and am 
 cheered more than anything by thinking that at last 
 after twenty-three years service, I have been of active 
 use to our dear queen. I thank God I have never yet 
 had occasion to slay any one with my own hand, 
 although I have been target enough, and only have 
 escaped through God's will. 
 
 " My little daughter's likeness is a great comfort, and 
 only think, I hope to get Frances's (Mrs. Champion^ s) 
 soon, as they are to land our baggage to-morrow or 
 next day." 
 
 An affair like that of the 26th could not fail to 
 elicit marked approbation. Lord Eaglan^s public 
 letter of October 27, tells how gallantly the regiments 
 and picquets were led by Major Mauleverer, Major 
 Champion, Major Emans, and Major Hume. Sir De 
 Lacy Evans not only reported in his despatch that 
 the conduct of the picquets excited general admiration, 
 but more formally put his opinion on record in the 
 following 
 
 ' " Divisional orders, 2Qth October, 1854. — A slight 
 illness has prevented the lieutenant-general from 
 expressing till this day his hearty and most cordial 
 thanks to the division he has the honour to command 
 for their exemplary and most spirited conduct on the 
 26th inst. His thanks and those of the division are 
 also due to those of the 1st division, who promptly and 
 zealously shared in the action, to our generous and 
 noble allies the French, to the 4th division, and to the 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 61 
 
 light division for their ready assistance and co-operation. 
 The enemy left in our hands 100 prisoners ; about 130 
 dead remained within or near our position. The 
 picquets of our light division also did severe execution, 
 and if the usual proportion of five or six wounded to 
 one killed occurred, the enemy's loss must have been 
 considerably more than was at first supposed, probably 
 from 700 to 800. 
 
 " Not one man of the 2nd division was missing after 
 the action. He laments to say that 12 of our gallant 
 comrades have fallen; 71 including 5 officers were 
 wounded. The severest part of the contest fell in the 
 first instance on the picquets of the 49tli, 30th, and 
 95th regiments. The other regiments subsequently 
 participated. Impartial witnesses not belonging to this 
 division have declared that heroic acts were performed 
 on this occasion. The lieutenant-general knows this 
 expression to have been correct. The promptitude, 
 vigour, and energy of our artillery, and that of the first 
 division, produced important results. The lieutenant- 
 general has had the happiness of hearing the conduct 
 of the whole division, of picquets in particular, and of 
 the royal artillery adverted to in terms of the warmest 
 approval by the highest authorities of the French 
 and English armies. The lieutenant-general in 
 his official report to the commander of the forces 
 has not failed in his endeavour to render justice to 
 individual acts of determined courage and merit in this 
 action. 
 
 *' A further list of names of meritorious officers, non- 
 commissioned officers, and privates, furnished to him 
 
62 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 by commanding officers, is about to be forwarded to 
 the commander of the forces, and the performance of 
 this duty will be a most satisfactory and pleasing one 
 to the general. 
 
 " The conduct of a sergeant's party belonging to 
 one of the regiments above named,* was animadverted 
 upon in divisional orders of the 24th inst. The distin- 
 guished gallantry on the 26th inst., of the regiment to 
 which that party belonged, affords the commander of 
 the division a proper and most gratifying opportunity 
 to direct the assistant adjutant- general to cause the 
 erasure of the order alluded to from the divisional order 
 book. The proceedings of the court-martial ordered 
 thereon are also herewith annulled, and the prisoners 
 on trial will return to their duty." 
 
 ** By order. 
 
 ** Signed by the 
 
 " Assistant Adjutant- General.*' 
 
 By this time the public despatches of Lord Eaglan, 
 after the battle of the Alma, had reached the camp ; and 
 it was with not a little astonishment and mortification 
 that the senior surviving officers of the 95th regiment 
 saw that their names had not been even mentioned by 
 the commander of the forces. Reputation, sought 
 literally at the cannon's mouth, as was the case at the 
 Alma, is purchased at too high a price to be lightly dis- 
 regarded, and Major Champion felt hmself impera- 
 tively called upon to ask for some explanation of 
 
 * Not the 95th. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 68 
 
 the circumstance. From the following letter it appears 
 that the omission was wholly accidental. 
 
 " Before Sebastopol, 2Sth October, 1854. — General 
 Pennefather was kind enough to go to Sir De Lacy 
 Evans respecting myself and Major Hume. Sir De 
 Lacy says, it must have been a complete oversight on 
 the part of Lord Eaglan not to have mentioned our 
 names in his despatches, as he spoke of us both in the 
 handsomest terms. He says, that as far as I am con- 
 cerned, there is very little fear but that it will be 
 rectified, as I had positively a right to be mentioned 
 from taking the regiment out of action." [N.B. It was 
 afterwards repaired by Lord Eaglan in his separate 
 despatch of October 31, in which he states that Major 
 Champion gained great credit by the way in which he 
 conducted the command. Unfortunately, Colonel 
 Champion did not live to hear that his merit had been 
 acknowledged in so graceful a manner.] " With regard 
 to the last picquet action I have not heard Sir De 
 Lacy 's opinion; he shook hands with me, and asked me 
 to write a despatch on it. I hear through other sources 
 that General Pennefather was pleased with our defence, 
 and that the conduct of both the 49th and my picquets 
 is highly extolled; the 3 Oth regiment are full of the 
 wonderful defence we made. Of course our artillery 
 and the main body got great praise for the slaughter 
 they so immediately effected. I have the satisfaction 
 of thinking my protracted defence gave them full time 
 to form and at once defeat the enemy. The number of 
 dead Eussians found on the ground we fought over 
 
64 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 quite exceeds anything I could have supposed, and I 
 do not think I am wrong in setting down the number 
 which the picquets killed and wounded at 100. There 
 were four guns in the battery, and from 5,000 to 8,000 
 Russians, and I suppose our picquet at the barrier 
 must have stood the attack of 2,000. They bayoneted 
 all our wounded who fell into their hands, whilst we 
 behaved in the kindest manner to theirs, our men giving 
 them water though there was a scarcity. They have 
 found the bodies of three Russian officers, and two are 
 prisoners, one the officer who took Lord Dunkellin 
 prisoner. We cannot, now we have buried a portion 
 of the dead, estimate their loss under from 500 to 600. 
 This is a fine counterpoise to the mishap at Balaklava, 
 where we lost exactly half of our Light Cavalry, and 
 had seven guns spiked. Last night we captured 
 seventy Russian horses, who came into the camp in a 
 most mysterious way, all ready saddled. In our action 
 the total loss was on our side twelve killed and seventy 
 wounded. We were turned out by a false alarm last 
 night at eleven o'clock, and I was in the trenches until 
 daylight, so am very tired." 
 
 " Sunday Afternoon, 29th October. — After a hot day 
 yesterday, we have November to day, with a cold north 
 
 wind and rain. Colonel C told me to day, that he 
 
 had been through the Balaklava action. The Light 
 Cavalry went into action 470 strong and came out 126. 
 They got into the most fearful cross fires. Lord Lucan 
 was some way led off by Captain Nolan, a very clever 
 officer, and Lord Cardigan said that if Captain Nolan 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 65 
 
 had survived the action he would have been brought to 
 
 a court-martiaL C told me he had heard of my 
 
 admirable defence. Eeport now says that the French 
 will be ready by Tuesday next to assault their side. 
 The Turks, or Buono Johnnies, seem much ashamed 
 "of their repulse the other day. They are brought up 
 here and made to work in the trenches, which saves 
 our men much. Many of our soldiers are very brave, 
 and are disappointed if they are not wounded in action. 
 The Hong-Kong fever was far more terrific than death 
 here. I like the old regiment much the best ; our 
 young hands are often not to be depended on, fire at 
 random, and are skulkers, who make a slight complaint 
 excuse for going off duty sick. I have no trouble with 
 the regiment, except in punishing such men where I 
 have the opportunity. I went to Lord Raglan's to-day 
 to lay my case before his military secretary. Colonel 
 Steele, who said that the omission was an oversight on 
 the part of Lord Raglan, and that it will be rectified. 
 The weather is fine to-day, but a terrifically cold wind. 
 Picquets become severe in cold weather, when you have 
 to keep awake half the night. I was oi^^'esterday, and 
 had my picquet in battle order as skirmishing com- 
 menced in the old quarter ; but it turned out a mere 
 sharp- shooting affair between the Guards and a few of 
 the enemy, without any result, or calling for our 
 interference. 
 
 " A tall man came up to the picquet, who turned out 
 to be the draftsman of the Illustrated News, and showed 
 me some of his sketches ; amongst others, one of our 
 skirmish near the end, when we were at the main 
 
66 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 picquet barrier. I took him to sketch our field work and 
 the Inkermann Valley, and afterwards showed him the 
 ground where we were first attacked, and showed him 
 our position. The artillery got great praise, and were 
 supposed to have done much execution, but the dead 
 were found to be, with few exceptions, killed by Minie 
 shots ; ditto wounded ; and I suspect my picquet must 
 have done great execution ; the affair is much spoken of. 
 "J am truly glad I have never yet with my own 
 hands taken the life of any fellow being ; may I be 
 spared doing so, except in self-defence. May every 
 blessing attend you ! " 
 
 The repulse of the Russians on the 26th was too 
 stern a rebuke to be borne patiently by the garrison 
 of Sebastopol. Time pressed ; winter was approaching 
 rapidly, and it became evident to the Muscovite com- 
 manders that the Allies must be speedily dislodged if 
 the place was to escape a winter siege. The spirit of 
 their troops too was giving way, and some decisive 
 success was to be attempted at all hazards. 
 
 Towards the head of the harbour, looking over the 
 ruins of Inkermann, there is a ravine, to command 
 which a two-gun redoubt had been constructed by the 
 English. This redoubt had not been armed, the ravine 
 had been neglected, and it offered what appeared to be 
 an easy access to the English camp on the heights. Sir 
 de Lacy Evans had seen the danger of leaving such a 
 line of ingress unprotected, and had represented the 
 importance of defensive works there to Lord Raglan. 
 But, before anything could be done to secure the pass, a 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 67 
 
 vast multitude of Bussians was collected to assault it, 
 simultaneously with an attack upon the whole 
 English line overlooking the valley of the Tchernaya. 
 Had the attack been successful, the Allies would have 
 been unable to hold their ground, and must either 
 have re -embarked or surrendered. But Providence 
 guarded the English host, and saved the world from 
 so great a calamity. The victory, however, was gained 
 at the expense of a fearful expenditure of our most 
 generous blood. 
 
 In a thick fog, some time before daybreak on the 
 5th of November, a mighty swarm of the Bussians 
 came on, at first stealthily, then more boldly, till at 
 last it rushed like a torrent upon a small but devoted 
 band of English soldiers on outlying picquet duty. 
 The Bussians numbered, as was afterwards ascertained, 
 fully 60,000 bayonets. Not more than 8000 could be 
 mustered to resist the human avalanche ; but among 
 the defenders of that post were some of the bravest 
 hearts that ever beat beneath the scarlet coat of 
 England. In vain poured on the furious throng; 
 down they went by hundreds before the deadly Minie, 
 and the close unwavering fire of the British line. 
 The number of the assailants was, however, over- 
 whelming ; friends and foes w^ere intermingled ; levelled 
 bayonets and clubbed muskets, swords and revolvers 
 replaced words of command and evolutions. The 
 battle became a fierce physical struggle, in which the 
 strongest and the boldest alone could hope for victory. 
 The dread story has been told a hundred times, and 
 need not be repeated. Eventually, the enemy was 
 
68 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 repulsed with hideous carnage ; leaving more bodies 
 on the field than the whole of the thin ranks of the 
 indomitable defenders could have furnished. 
 
 Where the melee was thickest and the slaughter 
 greatest, where his men most required encouragement, 
 and most danger of being broken was perceived by 
 his quick and quiet military eye, there rode Major 
 Champion, urging, cheering, restraining, forcing his 
 way through crowds of enemies that had half surrounded 
 his exhausted troops, then closing the ranks and rushing 
 on again, charging with his gallant " Derbies " over the 
 weak redoubt that should have guarded the position, and 
 finally dashing the enemy headlong down the hill. 
 
 It was then he fell. 
 
 A musket ball passed through his body, and struck 
 to the earth the gentlest heart that was ever disguised 
 by the fierce excitement of battle. He was taken on 
 board a transport at Balaclava, and conveyed to 
 Scutari, where he lingered till the 30th of the month, 
 when his gallant spirit ascended to the presence of 
 his Maker. 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 69 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SCUTARI. 
 
 The following extracts from the few letters wliicli 
 his failing strength enabled him to address to Mrs. 
 Champion will be read with the deepest interest. 
 
 " Steamer Sydney, Balaklava, 7th Nov, (written in 
 pencil). — We have had another terrible battle, in which, 
 thank God, we have been victorious, but with sad loss. 
 Hume was ordered in one place with half the regiment, 
 and I in another to support the 41st. We soon met the 
 Russians, and I believe repulsed them, and then were 
 desired to hurry on to the Grenadier Guards in a battery 
 who were getting hard pressed. They were nearly sur- 
 rounded, and the slaughter on both sides terrific. At 
 first they rather gained upon us, and got under the 
 battery, throwing large stones over — we however 
 repulsed them, and drove them down hill. I was 
 
 trying to recall the men when I got shot through. 
 
 ***** * 
 
 I hope to do well if I can keep my lungs right. The 
 doctors say I have no injury there, but they are affected 
 by the wound, and I spat up blood yesterday. I have a 
 
70 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 very nice servant (Harper), he is very attentive — I go 
 down to Scutari. I cannot write more. God bless 
 you, and put your trust in Him." 
 
 "Harbour, Scutari, lOthNovemher, 1854 {written 
 in 'pencil). — I am very weak, but as well as can be 
 expected. I trust danger has been removed, but it will 
 remain as long as oppression continues in the lungs. 
 I think I mentioned that the wound, although right 
 through my breast and back, is unattended with any 
 thing to produce bad symptoms, but I either bled 
 internally or else from the shock ruptured my left lung, 
 which I knew from the commencement, and which the 
 doctors recognised upon my spitting up blood. Any 
 injury there was done when my wound was fresh. 
 After a little I felt like a steamer with one paddle-box 
 choked (the left). Surgeon Evans, 16th Lancers, 
 finding fever had set in, bled me, which freed the lung 
 very much, and I only now suffer from slight oppres- 
 sion, and the very low state they keep me in. I have 
 never felt at all unhappy, or unwilling to meet God's 
 ordinances, whatever they may be ; but I wept when I 
 thought of your distress for me, and indeed of all my 
 dear friends and sweet little daughter. Tell her I have 
 her Daguerreotype with me. My servant Harper is a 
 very good man, and extremel}^ attentive. Heyland is 
 still here, but leaves very shortly. He most kindly 
 sent us clothes on board on our arrival. Major Hume 
 is on board, and as attentive as his wounds will permit. 
 You will see a drawing in the Illustrated News of the 
 dismounted two-gun battery which we were defending 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 71 
 
 when I was struck. Owing to various circumstances 
 I had only the Grenadiers and two other companies 
 at the time, and we were firing into the enemy when I 
 was ordered up to the battery to help the Guards, very 
 much pressed. Thus we had Eussians both in front 
 and rear — I found great slaughter; 41st, 95th, Grena- 
 dier Guards, and Scots Fusilier Guards all fighting 
 mixed up together, but lining the battery. I believe I 
 was senior officer. We were nearly surrounded many 
 times : at length the Eussians were close up, and com- 
 menced throwing stones over, and getting up and 
 firing — our men returned this, and so we fought for 
 some minutes. At last I proposed to some of the 
 Guards that our men should mount and charge over the 
 battery, which they did in style, driving the enemy 
 right down the hill. Finding they were going too 
 far, and would be surrounded on return, I got off 
 
 Highflyer, and went down the hill to recall. The 
 
 doctor won't let me write any more. May every 
 blessing attend you !" 
 
 ^' General Hospital, 20th November, 1854. — I know 
 you will not feel comfortable without a line from me- 
 I am lying here from day to day, they say, getting on 
 very well ; but I am not allowed to talk or move off 
 my back, which will make you understand how I am 
 situated. They kill and cure you here on their own 
 principles, but I trust in God and a good constitution 
 to carry me through. It is very difficult here to find 
 out when the post goes off to England. 
 
 P.S. I get some excellent wholesome nourishment 
 
72 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 at last, and even Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe sends us 
 jcUy, &c." 
 
 " General Hospital, Scutari, 2Uh November, 1854. 
 — I am sitting up for the first time to-day, and conse- 
 quently you see I am better ; but a very sad time I 
 have had of it. My servant Harper has been most 
 invaluable, and but for his attention and niceness I 
 should have died here long ago. Another hospital 
 attendant has been very attentive. As far as nourish- 
 ment goes, I get good things from the hospital ; and 
 yesterday they even gave me a gill of port wine, but I 
 now begin to want it much. The beds are insufferably 
 hard, and have worn me into sores. How I regret not 
 having my good old air-mattrass, which is kicking 
 about the Sir Robert Sale near the Crimea. We pur- 
 chase nourishing things for ourselves for breakfast, 
 such as chocolate, &c. How often, sweet wife, do I 
 think of you all ! with hope — oh, what an exquisite 
 hope ! — that our gracious and kind Lord may bring me 
 over this fatal time to return and see you ! All the 
 wounded have had their boards, and I am to go to 
 England when sufficiently improved to leave this place. 
 You will like to know that a chaplain constantly visits us, 
 and that I took sacrament yesterday. I have a prayer- 
 book too, and I meditate. I received a large bundle 
 of letters yesterday up to November 3rd; amongst 
 others, one from Mary Carnegie. I trust to write to 
 her a line of affection before the post leaves. Dearest 
 aunt, your nephew's kindest love. Dearest Maggie, 
 may God spare my return to be all that is affectionate 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 73 
 
 to you and James ! Dearest daughter, may every 
 blessing be with you and sweet Arnold ! I must not 
 write more, but you will like to hear from me in person, 
 I am sure. Of course you are directing to me, 
 ' General Hospital, Scutari, Constantinople.' How 
 delightful to have your letters, sweet, sweet friends !" 
 
 On the 30th of November this brave soldier and 
 Christian gentleman died. A few days later he was 
 gazetted as a Lieut. -Colonel, a rank the advantages of 
 which have been secured to his widow and two infant 
 children in consideration of his distinguished services. 
 
 Of his last moments there are two records ; one 
 from his dear friend and brother officer Captain 
 Sargent, to whom he sent his revolver, after having 
 been wounded at Inkermann, that of Captain Sargent 
 having been shot away from his side at the ^^Alma ; 
 the other from the Chaplain to the Hospital. 
 
 (Copy of a Letter from Captain Sargent, d6th 
 
 Regiment, to Mrs. Champion.) 
 
 "Scutari Hospital, 
 
 " Christmas Day^ 1854. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Champion,— 
 
 " I will not attempt to write to you as my 
 heart feels on the subject of your sad, sad bereavement. 
 I have not ability to do so in the manner I should wish. 
 You know what sincere friends he and I were, and how 
 much I esteemed him; and, from my long intimacy 
 with him, how I must be aware of the tender love with 
 which he cherished you and his little ones, and how 
 devotedly that love was reciprocated. Knowing all 
 
74 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 this as I do, I will not try, I will not presume, to utter 
 my condolence to a heart so smitten, so broken as 
 yours. 
 
 " I hear you have already been written to, but it 
 was not then known that his servant had in the most 
 thoughtful manner cut off the accompanying lock of 
 his hair, which I lose no time in sending to you. He, 
 as was the general custom, kept his hair so short that 
 there was not a longer piece. I mention this, lest you 
 might think the servant negligent. His name is 
 Private Harper, of my company (Grenadiers). He 
 attended and watched over your husband up to the 
 moment of his death, and as he is a very steady man, 
 I will repeat to you what he says. He can neither 
 read nor write, otherwise I should have made him do 
 the latter, knowing how much the heart longs to know 
 the merest trifle of such a time. Harper states that 
 though his master was generally cheerful, and inva- 
 riably told inquirers that he * felt easier,' and ' a little 
 better,' the major knew he had received his death- 
 wound, and told Harper a couple of days after, that he 
 was sure he had ; but that he did not much care as 
 you were at home, and he lost his life in defence of his 
 country. He used constantly to pray in the most 
 earnest manner ; his prayers must have been heard, 
 because he was evidently well prepared for the great 
 change, so resigned to God's will. The great patience 
 with which he bore his sufferings throughout was most 
 astonishing, and they were certainly great; but his 
 heroic fortitude suppressed their utterance. 
 
 " The night before he died he desired Harper to 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 75 
 
 arrange his bed and pillows in a particular way, which 
 he thought had given him rather more ease during the 
 night before. He shortly after fell into a beautiful 
 sleep, and, what he had not done since he was wounded, 
 continued all night in this quiet sleep until morning, 
 when life passed away without a pang, leaving a sweet 
 happy smile on his face. And thus your husband died 
 as he had lived — gentle and forbearing, a true good 
 Christian man, a thorough gentleman, and a most 
 brave soldier. 
 
 " I did not see him fall, there was such a thick mist 
 one could not see at times many yards off ; and besides 
 the fighting was such, I can only compare it to a 
 desperate struggle for our own lives. The enemy 
 were rushing on us in fresh dense columns as fast as 
 we sent them reeling back, and each individual saw 
 our only chance was to deal as much destruction as 
 he could, and sell his life as dearly to our enemy as 
 possible. After the battle was over we thought another 
 attack was likely during the night, so I did not think 
 it right to leave the camp to go to where our hospital 
 tents were — nearly a mile off. The following morning 
 I went on outlying picquet in command of four com- 
 panies, so that it was impossible for me to go and see 
 my wounded friends. When I came off picquet the 
 following morning they had gone to Balaklava to be 
 put on board ship. You may think I ought to have 
 gone down then after them ; but the fact is, I never 
 absented myself from our camp, we were in such an 
 exposed position, and had so often to stand to our 
 arms, that I did not like to go out of the way. I 
 
 B 2 
 
76 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 mention this to account for my not again seeing my 
 friend from the time I saw him gallantly riding on at 
 our head in among the Russians. 
 
 *' I have commenced building a very nice tomb over 
 his grave. When it is finished I will send you a 
 drawing of it. I thought it better to get this done 
 at once without waiting for reference to you, because 
 by the time your answer arrived I would not be here, 
 perhaps dead, killed, and they are burying in such 
 hundreds about the grave, it could not then perhaps 
 be identified. I know no person here to whom we 
 could entrust the work, or who would take any trouble 
 about it, and it is quite a chance any officer of the 
 regiment coming here and stopping a sufficient time. 
 As I am now well enough to be able to go to the 
 ground and superintend it, I considered so good an 
 opportunity should not be lost. I now only hope you 
 will approve of my good intention. For the same 
 reason I have not referred the matter to the regiment; 
 and, besides, indeed they are now so few, so many 
 killed, so many wounded, sick, gone away, and the 
 few that are left are so overworked with picquets and 
 entrenchments, and in such daily uncertainty of their 
 own lives ; altogether there would be a delay, and 
 in the meantime I would have gone back, so that it 
 might never have been done at all. 
 
 " Believe me, My dear Mrs. Champion, 
 
 " Very sincerely yours, 
 
 "J. A. Saegent." 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 77 
 
 {Letter from the Rev. J". Meredeth Lewes, Chaplain at 
 Scutari Hospital, addressed to Miss Champion.) 
 
 "General Hospital, Scutari, 
 "February 12th, 1855. 
 
 " My dear Madam, 
 
 "I have much pleasure in writing to you 
 about the late Lieutenant- Colonel Champion, and 
 should have done so before, had not Colonel Hume 
 told me that he had requested his mother to commu- 
 nicate the sad intelligence to his widow, which I 
 thought she would be able to do much better than 
 myself. Since Colonel Hume's departure it often 
 occurred to me to send a few lines describing my im- 
 pressions of his last moments, and I tried in vain to 
 discover Mrs. Champion's address. I will now, however, 
 endeavour to make up for the delay by telling you all 
 I can. To say that he bore his pains with Christian 
 meekness and resignation, and uttered not a moan or 
 a murmur during his many days of suffering, is only 
 what your knowledge of his character will have led you 
 to expect. I certainly never saw a countenance with 
 a more angelic expression than his, and yet this 
 gentleness was consistent with a lion-like ardour in 
 battle ; conscious as he was of a righteous cause, and 
 the duties of a Christian soldier. Was not this peace 
 at the last one of the blessed fruits of faith in the great 
 Captain of his salvation, to whom he had shown as 
 firm an allegiance as his heroic conduct in the field 
 proves him to have done to an earthly chief? I do 
 
78 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 not doubt that he rests, as he died, in peace; and 
 that your, I may be pardoned for saying our loss, is 
 his gain. 
 
 " His death took me by surprise. I had visited him 
 the night before, and he did not appear worse, indeed 
 he seemed to speak with greater ease than usual — by 
 the morning his spirit had flown. 
 
 " He did not communicate much to me, and generally 
 seemed wrapt in his own reflections. When I spoke 
 to him a gentle smile would steal over his face, and 
 he would press my hand and thank me for my inquiries. 
 I thought it would be intrusive to question such a man 
 about his religious feelings, and he may have refrained 
 from giving a full expression to them — partly from the 
 difiiculty he had in speaking, and partly from our very 
 limited acquaintance, too limited perhaps for entire 
 confidence on his part ; not so for my appreciation of 
 his many Christian qualities. Occasionally, however, 
 he would give me a slight indication of the tenor 
 of his thoughts. Once I remember referring to the 
 
 oflicer named who died somewhat suddenly 
 
 one night in the same room, he remarked that he had 
 a presentiment that he should 'go off in the same 
 way; but that he was willing to be absent from the 
 body, because he hoped to be present with the Lord.' 
 At another time I was reading to an oflicer in 
 the next bed, supposing Colonel Champion was asleep, 
 and had just begun that sublime song of praise, 
 the 19th Psalm, when he repeated in a distinct 
 whisper the alternate verses to the end. I could dwell 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 79 
 
 long on the many beautiful traits of his character, 
 his sweet humility and simple mind — a mind, too, as 
 I have since heard, adorned with high accomplish- 
 ments and scientific learning. Guileless as an infant's, 
 and yet matured to the ' full stature of a perfect man/ his 
 spirit sought repose in the bosom of his Eternal Father. 
 There let us hope to join him ; and meanwhile, by 
 employing ourselves in works of love and usefulness, 
 purify ourselves of that worldliness which still clings 
 to our best motives. 
 
 "Pray convey to Mrs. Champion my most sincere 
 condolence, and believe me, 
 
 J. Meeedeth Lewes. 
 
 " P.S. The Purveyor told me some time ago that 
 he had despatched all the effects of the late Colonel 
 Champion to his widow ; I wished to take charge of 
 some little things, but he assured me that every- 
 thing would be sent in safety. There was a 
 pen and ink sketch of these hospitals which I ob- 
 served among his loose papers ; this also, I was 
 told, had been enclosed ; were it not for the value of 
 even such little mementos to surviving friends, I 
 might have been tempted to ask for this relic of one I 
 esteemed so much." 
 
 Thus terminated the earthly career of one who 
 showed that the gentlest spirit may be accompanied by 
 the most daring courage ; that the lamb in peace may 
 become the lion in war ; and that an English officer 
 may be devoted to the arts of peace while retaining 
 
80 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 all the high qualities which most especially belong to 
 the military profession. 
 
 The testimony of those who served with him, 
 whether above him or beneath him in rank, is 
 unvarying. All speak of him in the same manner, 
 as one whose daring courage, real worth, integrity of 
 character, and pureness of conduct, always ensured 
 the esteem of his brother officers. At the Alma he 
 showed his regiment the way to victory ; through what 
 perils the frightful losses it sustained too well declare. 
 In the action of the 26th October, it was known that 
 the picquet of the 95th would never flinch under such 
 command ; and their conduct was the admiration of the 
 army. His superior officers were sure of him and his 
 regiment, nor were they disappointed at the battle of 
 Inkermann. Eye-witnesses declare that it was beauti- 
 ful to see the way he led, and his fine young regiment 
 followed him, into such a fire as the bravest officers 
 would never wish again to witness. Both Sir de Lacy 
 Evans and Major General Pennefather, under whose 
 command Colonel Champion was, and under whose 
 eye he fought, have borne testimony, in the highest 
 terms, to his zeal and gallantry. No wonder, then, 
 that his companions in arms heard of his death with 
 such grief and sorrow as are seldom felt, that they 
 mourned for him as for a brother, and that they have 
 been most anxious to show their respect and love for 
 his memory. 
 
 A plain marble tomb, in the Cemetery at Scutari, 
 marks the ground where his body lies. It was placed 
 
LIEUT. -COL. CHAMPION. 
 
 81 
 
 there by one of those dear friends who shared his 
 perils, but live to mourn his loss, and whose most 
 touching letter forms part of this brief narrative. 
 
 SACRED 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 LIEUT.-COLONEL J. G. CHAMPION, 95th REGIMENT, 
 
 WHO DIED AT SCUTARI HOSPITAL ON THE 30tH NOVEMBER, 1854, 
 
 FROM A WOUND RECEIVED WHILE GALLANTLY COMMANDING 
 
 HIS REGIMENT AT THE BATTLE OF INKERMANN 
 
 ON THE 5th instant. 
 
 THE END. 
 
LONDON : 
 BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIA KS. 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
 on the date to which renewed. 
 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY