A Portrait and Biographical Record of Hendricks County (Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1895)--pages 1001-1002
John M. Champion, one of the old soldiers of the Civil War and a respected citizen of Clay Township, Hendricks County, Ind., was born in Delphi, Ohio, and is a son of Thomas and Martha (Moore) Champion. Thomas Champion was from an old Virginia family and was a prosperous farmer of Hamilton County, Ohio, and the father of eight children: Robert, John M., William L., Andrew J., Sarah (died at twenty-five years), Elizabeth (died about twenty-five years old), Emeline and Thomas, who died young. Mr. Champion moved to Indiana in 1838 and settled in Morgan County, Adams Township, on a farm which he entered, and died at forty years of age. He had three sons in the Civil War, John M., William L., and Andrew J. The last two were in Thirty-third Indiana Infantry, Company A, as privates. William L. served from August, 1861, veteranized and served to the close of the war, making one of the longest records of Morgan County. He was wounded at Peach Tree Creek, July 22, 1863; he was taken prisoner at Cumberland Gap and confined in Libby prison, but had taken part in many battles. Andrew J. served about three years. John M., our subject, was but three years of age when he was brought to this state by his parents and was reared a farmer. He enlisted October 11, 1861, at Indianapolis, in Company C, Fifty-first Indiana Infantry. His first captain was James Sheets, his next was D.W. Hamilton, and then Aaron Dooley, of Hendricks County. He served until December 17, 1864, and was honorably discharged at Nashville, Tenn.
He was in the battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and reached Pittsburg Landing a few hours too late for that battle. He was in Straight's famous raid, leaving Nashville, Tenn., April 1, 1862, and was on this raid one month and three days, nearly all the time under fire, day and night. The command was selected from the Fifty-first Indiana, Third Ohio, Seventy-third Indiana and Thirteenth Michigan Mounted Infantry, the soldiers going into the surrounding country and gathering up the horses and mules from the farmers. After a series of battles and skirmishes, Col. Straight was obliged to surrender near Rome, Ga., and Mr. Champion was made a prisoner and was taken to Belle Isle, but fifteen days later was paroled. There was no shelter to speak of, the vermin was plentiful and the rations very meager—two inches square of corn bread and a small piece of mule meat, two inches square, served raw, for two days' rations. After his parole and a short furlough home, Mr. Champion rejoined his regiment, served in Kentucky and was in several severe skirmishes, and was, beside, in the battle of Franklin, one of the hardest of the war; was on the field at Chattanooga and took part in the battle of Perryville, Ky. After the war, Mr. Champion came to Amo, Clay Township, Hendricks County, Ind., and engaged in farming. He had married, before the war, Peggy, daughter of William and Epervia (Orrell) Cosner. William Cosner was the father of six children, and his only son was a private in Company B, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Indiana Infantry, and has served about seven months, when the war closed. After marriage, Mr. Champion settled on the old Cosner homestead, and after the war settled in Amo, where he has been engaged in farming and teaming, and is a substantial citizen and owner of real estate. To Mr. Champion and wife have been born four children: William (died an infant), Otis (died an infant), Dora B. (died aged seven years), and Charles, now a resident of Chicago. Mr. Champion and wife are members of the Methodist Church, in which he has been class leader many years. He is also a member of the Reuben Masten post, No. 431, G.A.R., of Amo, and he is a quartermaster. He has been supervisor two years and constable four years, and in politics is a Republican. He is a well-known citizen, respected for Christian worth and sterling moral character.