[1] In the autumn of 1860, what seemed an advantageous business offer took him to New Orleans, where during the following spring he witnessed the opening scenes of secession in that city.

He wrote for several periodicals until 1873, when he edited a work entitled Fox's Mission to Russia (New York, 1873), from the papers of Joseph F. Loubat.

Loubat had been secretary to Gustavus V. Fox on his mission to present the congratulations of the United States Congress to the Emperor Alexander II of Russia on his escape from assassination.

They had one son Author John Denison Champlin Jr. II[4] In 1884 he visited Europe, and accompanied Andrew Carnegie in a trip by coach through southern England.

[2] In 1893, he was selected, along with Rossiter Johnson and George Cary Eggleston, to edit Liber Scriptorum, a volume with contributions from over 100 members of the Authors Club.