KORNILOFF, IthenelOv, Lawns Gregor ovitch, Russian general: b. Siberia, 30 June 1870. The son of humble Cossack parents, he had to work hard from childhood, but managed to educate himself sufficiently to enter the Cadet Corps at the age of 13. At 19 he had learned several languages, entered the Artillery College in Saint Petersburg and at 22 obtained his commission. An excellent mathematician and learned scholar, he might have had an easy career in the metropolis, but he chose to be stationed in Turkestan. He entered the Staff College in 1895 andgraduated with the highest honors. Between 1896 and 1902 he carried out a series of daring missions in Persia and Afghanistan, disguised as a native. These ex plorations enabled him to make important con tributions to science. In the Russo-Japanese War he commanded a brigade and displayed military talents of a high order. He was at tached to the General Staff after that war, spending most of his time traveling in Asia and Europe. From 1907 to 1911 he was mili tary attaché at Peking, after which he com manded the Trans-Amur frontier force, which accompanied him in the European War in 1914. He led the 49th division in the conquest of Galicia early in the war. He was trapped in the Dukla Pass in the Carpathians during the Austro-German offensive in May 1915. Sur rounded by superior forces, he hacked his way through the enemy lines and saved a large por tion of his forces. Wounded, he fought with a small rearguard till all had fallen. He was captured by the Austrians, but escaped from prison and returned to Russia in 1916. In
the early stages of the Russian revolution he was placed in command of the troops in Petro grad, but, unable to endure the systematic mis rule of the provisional committees, he asked to return to the front. His capture of Halicz 10 July 1917 marked him as a great commander, and on the resignation of General Brussilov he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Rus sian armies in August 1917. He immediately entered into negotiations with the provisional government concerning the necessary steps to be taken in order to re-establish the fighting strength of the army. The greater part of the measures proposed by Korniloff were accepted by the government, which took a final decision on the questions involved on 26 August. The decision, however, was not carried out owing to the unexpected demand of Korniloff that the powers of dictatorship should be conferred upon him. On 9 Sept. 1917 he led a counter-revolu tion against Kerensky and marched on Petro grad with his troops. Kerensky deposed him from his command, and Korniloff issued a bold proclamation to the people and the government pleading for a vigorous prosecution of the war. However, he surrendered on 13 September and was arrested with 23 generals and other officers. The affair was smoothed over eventually as a °misunderstanding° between the Premier and the general. See RUSSIAN REVOLUTION; WAR, EUROPEAN.