Admiral Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich biography briefly. Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov: biography Kornilov’s participation in the Crimean War

Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich (1806 - October 17, 1854, Sevastopol), Russian vice admiral. Since 1849, chief of staff, since 1851, in fact, commander of the Black Sea Fleet. During the Crimean War, one of the leaders of the heroic defense of Sevastopol. Mortally wounded on Malakhov Kurgan.

He was born on February 1, 1806 in the family estate of Ivanovsky, Tver province. His father was a naval officer. Following in his father's footsteps, Kornilov Jr. entered the Naval Cadet Corps in 1821 and graduated two years later, becoming a midshipman. Richly gifted by nature, an ardent and enthusiastic young man was burdened by coastal combat service in the Guards naval crew. He could not stand the routine of parade parades and drills at the end of the reign of Alexander I and was expelled from the fleet “for lack of vigor for the front.” In 1827, at the request of his father, he was allowed to return to the fleet. Kornilov was assigned to M. Lazarev’s ship Azov, which had just been built and arrived from Arkhangelsk, and from that time his real naval service began.

Kornilov became a participant in the famous Battle of Navarino against the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. In this battle (October 8, 1827), the crew of the Azov, carrying the flagship flag, showed the highest valor and was the first of the ships of the Russian fleet to earn the stern St. George flag. Lieutenant Nakhimov and midshipman Istomin fought next to Kornilov.
On October 20, 1853, Russia declared a state of war with Turkey. On the same day, Admiral Menshikov, appointed commander-in-chief of the naval and ground forces in the Crimea, sent Kornilov with a detachment of ships to reconnoitre the enemy with permission to “take and destroy Turkish warships wherever they are encountered.”

Having reached the Bosphorus Strait and not finding the enemy, Kornilov sent two ships to reinforce Nakhimov’s squadron sailing along the Anatolian coast, sent the rest to Sevastopol, and he himself transferred to the steam frigate “Vladimir” and stayed at the Bosphorus. The next day, November 5, Vladimir discovered the armed Turkish ship Pervaz-Bahri and entered into battle with it. This was the first battle of steam ships in the history of naval art, and the crew of the Vladimir, led by Lieutenant Commander G. Butakov, won a convincing victory. The Turkish ship was captured and towed to Sevastopol, where, after repairs, it became part of the Black Sea Fleet under the name “Kornilov”.


At the council of flagships and commanders, which decided the fate of the Black Sea Fleet, Kornilov advocated for the ships to go to sea to fight the enemy for the last time. However, by a majority vote of the council members, it was decided to scuttle the fleet, excluding steam frigates, in Sevastopol Bay and thereby block the enemy’s breakthrough to the city from the sea. On September 2, 1854, the sinking of the sailing fleet began. The head of the city's defense directed all the guns and personnel of the lost ships to the bastions.

On the eve of the siege of Sevastopol, Kornilov said: “Let them first tell the troops the word of God, and then I will convey to them the word of the king.” And around the city there was a religious procession with banners, icons, chants and prayers. Only after this did the famous Kornilov call sound: “The sea is behind us, the enemy is ahead, remember: do not trust retreat!”

On September 13, the city was declared under siege, and Kornilov involved the population of Sevastopol in the construction of fortifications. The garrisons of the southern and northern sides were increased, from where the main enemy attacks were expected. On October 5, the enemy launched the first massive bombardment of the city from land and sea. On this day, while detouring the defensive formations of V.A. Kornilov was mortally wounded in the head on Malakhov Kurgan. “Defend Sevastopol,” were his last words. Nicholas I, in his letter to Kornilov’s widow, indicated: “Russia will not forget these words, and your children will pass on a name that is venerable in the history of the Russian fleet.”

After Kornilov’s death, a will was found in his casket addressed to his wife and children. “I bequeath to the children,” the father wrote, “to the boys, having once chosen the service of the sovereign, not to change it, but to make every effort to make it useful to society... For daughters to follow their mother in everything.” Vladimir Alekseevich was buried in the crypt of the Naval Cathedral of St. Vladimir next to his teacher, Admiral Lazarev. Soon Nakhimov and Istomin will take their place next to them.

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Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov (1 (13 according to the new style) February 1806 - 5 (17) October 1854)- Vice Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy, commander of the defense of Sevastopol during the Russian-Turkish War of 1853-1855. According to one version, he was born in.

V.A. Kornilov: biographical information

I have been interested in the question of the birthplace of Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov since 2003, because... I knew that the father of the future naval commander was from Irkutsk and lived in from July 15, 1805 to July 29, 1806.

Arriving in Irkutsk as governor, A.M. Kornilov found himself subordinate to the Siberian (Governor General), whose residence was in. Selifontov, having previously been a senator, carried out an audit of Siberia from 1801, after which in 1803 he was appointed governor. Selifontov behaved like a “Siberian satrap.” In the first half of 1805, he achieved the removal of N.P. Kartvelin, the Irkutsk governor, dissatisfied with the methods of government of the governor general, from his post.

On September 3, 1805, as reported by “”, the Russian Ambassador to China, Count, arrived in Irkutsk. Golovkin left for China on September 26. Since the count was not allowed to enter Beijing due to his refusal to perform humiliating ceremonies in Urga, he returned to Irkutsk on February 27, 1806 and lived there until November 1, when he left for St. Petersburg.

The three main figures in Irkutsk were Golovkin, Selifontov and Kornilov, who stood below them. The Decembrist, who is well aware of the events that took place there, tells in detail about the kind of relationship that developed between these individuals:

« The honest sailor Kornilov, personally known to the sovereign from Galernaya Harbor, where he was the head, came to the governorship. You will probably guess that this one did not get along with Bakulin and, consequently, with Selifontov. They reached the point of a public quarrel, and of course, Kornilov would have felt ill if Count Golovkin’s embassy had not arrived in time.

You, of course, know that Count Golovkin was instructed, while traveling to the border of China, to pay attention to the state of the provinces along the route, and to report to the government that he noticed something bad. Just as (the Irkutsk governor 1798–1802 - A.D.), due to his arrogance, did not want to bow to Selifontov, so this one, as a plenipotentiary vice-swarm, did not show the visiting guest special respect. From the first meeting we noticed a dryness in him. On the contrary, Kornilov tried to win over not only the ambassador, but also his entire retinue. Kornilov's wife, Alexandra Efremovna, née von der Fleet, was a very kind, clever, hospitable woman. In general, the Kornilov family seemed very kind to the embassy, ​​and the gentlemen, as they said in Irkutsk, “lived alive” in the governor’s house. Later, when Kornilov left Irkutsk with debts, they repeated that he “lived on the embassy.” Be that as it may, it is true that Alexandra Efremovna managed to convey to the count’s retinue all, as they say, the ins and outs of Selifontov, and every morning the count received a correct report of what they heard there. The consequences came soon.

As soon as Count Golovkin left for China, Selifontov went to Tobolsk to meet his family, promising the Irkutsk people to return soon. Having lived for several months in Tobolsk, he was actually already thinking about a return trip, when suddenly the highest decree was issued dismissing him from service and prohibiting him from entering the capitals».

As can be seen from the quoted text, the wife of A.M. Kornilov in 1805–1806. not only was she in Irkutsk, but also played an active role there.

As for the exact date of birth of the future vice admiral, apparently, it is not given in the identified sources. Therefore, we present excerpts from Vladimir Kornilov’s petition for assignment to the Naval Cadet Corps:

« January 1818

My dear father, active state councilor Alexei Mikhailov, son Kornilov, continued to serve Your Imperial Majesty in the navy, now I am twelve years old, trained in Russian and French to read and write and arithmetic, but have not yet entered the service of Your Imperial Majesty determined, but I have a desire to join the Naval Cadet Corps as cadets...

And that I am truly one of the nobles and the aforementioned actual state councilor Alexei Kornilov, I present evidence of this. I am located in the Tver province, there are thirty souls of peasants behind my father...

We, the undersigned, hereby testify that the minor nobleman named in this petition, Vladimir Kornilov, is indeed the legitimate son of the actual state councilor Alexei Mikhailovich Kornilov, who served in the navy, and is now twelve years old. January... day 1818».

The day of January is not indicated in the original. Then follow four signatures of respectable persons, including a lieutenant general and a rear admiral, and a note, apparently from an official of the Naval Corps: “Filed February 1, 1818.”

It is clear that the petition was not drawn up by the son, but by the father, who, apparently, was in a hurry, since he did not indicate either the son’s birthday or the date of the certificate of the four nobles. Since the text mentions January twice, it is more likely that Vladimir was born not on February 1, but in the last days of January.

Given the above information, I assumed that V.A. Kornilov was born in Irkutsk, and not in the Tver province. He could have been born there only if Alexei Mikhailovich’s wife had been sent to give birth to relatives who lived in the same province. But such a journey of more than five thousand miles for a pregnant woman in the then uncomfortable carriages on bad roads with the risk of getting into an accident or catching a cold seems almost incredible. And for the governor’s wife, a good doctor could be found in Irkutsk.

Of course, the main document indicating the date and place of birth of a resident of Russia in the 19th century. is an extract from the registry register, which was kept in each church. But it was not possible to find such an extract either in Irkutsk or in the Tver region.

To find out why the Tver province is considered the birthplace of the vice admiral, I made a request to the Tver State United Museum. On December 10, 2003, a response was sent to me, signed by museum researcher O.V. Petrov. It says that the place of birth of Kornilov is mentioned in documents stored in the State Archives of the Tver Region: 1. The case of entering the Kornilov nobility into the genealogical book... 2. Pedigree of the Kornilov nobles... 3. Autobiography...” (case numbers I lower it. – HELL.).

Thus, the Kornilovs themselves wrote that V.A. born in Tver province. This behavior is quite understandable. A few months after Vladimir’s birth, his family had to leave Irkutsk. The governor, realizing that he could not get along with Selifontov, asked the tsar to transfer him to Tobolsk. To the new Governor General I.B. Pestel wanted to have his protege as governor in Irkutsk, and he did not object. The Emperor agreed to move Kornilov to Tobolsk, and on July 29, 1806, six-month-old Volodya apparently began his first journey.

And in Tobolsk the “honest sailor,” an energetic and talented administrator, worked just as actively as in Irkutsk. However, the new Siberian satrap did not need Kornilov in Tobolsk either.

Pestel, having appeared in Irkutsk in October 1806, arrived in Tobolsk the following year. The same V.I. narrates how events developed further. Steingeil. According to him, Pestel, “having parted in Tobolsk with Governor Kornilov and Vice-Governor Steingel, my uncle, in the best possible way, upon arrival in St. Petersburg he made representations to both of them, as a result of which they were brought to trial by the Senate. Kornilov's place was given to Pestel's son-in-law von Brin. The act is not very clean at all. Kornilov and Steingeil were later acquitted, but grief brought the latter to a premature death.

This message is supplemented by V.I. Vagin: " Extreme selfishness, passion for tyranny, indulgence in one’s favorites, insatiable vindictiveness—these are Pestel’s distinctive features. Immediately after his first survey of Siberia, he returned to St. Petersburg and lived there permanently. Here his main occupation was the fierce persecution of the two governors he replaced - Tomsk - Khvostov and Tobolsk - Kornilov... Kornilov was accused of having carried out one measure prescribed by the same Pestel, but later canceled by him».

It is not clear when Alexey Mikhailovich was acquitted by the court, but even the acquittal did not make it possible to return to public service. Until 1819, Pestel, while in St. Petersburg, remained the governor-general of Siberia, tried to intercept numerous complaints against the governors appointed by him and, as Vagin writes, was engaged in the persecution of Kornilov and Khvostov. Pestel was patronized by the powerful temporary worker A.A. Arakcheev. Therefore A.M. Kornilov was forced to live in the Tver province as a landowner. Alexey Mikhailovich managed to restore his former (and well-deserved) position in society only in 1822, when he became a senator. There is no doubt that this appointment is connected with the arrival of the new Governor-General of Siberia M.M. to St. Petersburg (March 1821) and especially with the decree of Emperor Alexander 1 (January 1822), which removed I.B. from service. Pestel. tried as much as possible to help those who were persecuted by the previous administration.

As for the entries in the noble genealogy and in the autobiography of V.A. Kornilov, they were apparently introduced in 1818, when Vladimir tried to enter the Naval Corps. Most likely, the decision to declare the Tver province as his birthplace was made by his father because he was in disgrace, was considered, although acquitted, but still under trial and investigation, and tried not to even remember the unsuccessful governorship. Therefore, his son did not write that his father was a governor, but named the Tver province as his place of birth.

These facts and arguments were expressed by me in an article published in the Irkutsk magazine “Siberia”. There I raised the question of the birth of V.A. Kornilov in Irkutsk in the form of an assumption. Now new facts have been revealed that make it possible to draw a more definite conclusion.

I mean the voluminous collection “Russian-Chinese relations in the 19th century. Materials and documents". The collection is dedicated to the embassy of Yu.A. Golovkin, and in the appendices to it are given “Memoirs of F.F. Vigel about his trip as part of the embassy of Yu.A. Golovkin to the Qing Empire (1805–1806)".

Wigel reports that he arrived in Irkutsk on September 8, 1805 (p. 801). Having then talked about the relationship between the ambassador and the governor-general, F.F. Wigel continues: “The venerable Alexei Mikhailovich Kornilov, the civil governor, unfortunately, did not quite get along with Selifontov and because of this he was in great favor with the ambassador. His house could be considered the only one in Irkutsk; his pretty and good-natured wife Alexandra Efremovna, née fan der Fleet, treated us there and with her ease, one might say, unintentional courtesy, everyone liked her. On the day of the coronation, September 15, she was the hostess at a crowded and, they say, very strange ball that Golovkin gave to the city. I won’t describe it, because I had a cold and wasn’t there” (p. 804).

Then Wigel makes a trip on embassy business to Kyakhta-Troitskosavsk and returns to Irkutsk on December 29 (p. 817).

On December 21, Governor General Selifontov left Irkutsk for Tobolsk, and Yu.A. Golovkin was in China. Therefore, on December 31, 1805, as the first person, “Governor Kornilov gave for all classes of the city, which at 12 o’clock, i.e. at midnight, marked by 16 cannon shots to welcome the new year of 1806,” says the Irkutsk Chronicle...” (p. 195). These words are complemented by F.F. Wigel: " From the famous embassy we were then four exiles in Irkutsk and all of us, not excluding Professor Klaproth, spent our lives with Governor Kornilov. Governor General Selifontov had long since returned to Tobolsk. Alexandra Efremovna, the governor's wife, knew how to be so kind to the merchants and their wives that they agreed for her to give up their prejudices for one evening and celebrate the new year, 1806, with her.

Siberia is supplied with everything by crimes committed in Russia: in Irkutsk there were even up to ten musicians. Vasilchikov opened the ball with the hostess, and after that he, she, and almost all of us danced until we dropped; for better or for worse, only from the bottom of my heart. The ladies were all the wives of officials, and the gentlemen (as the dancers were called then) were all the husbands of officials"(P. 818).

So, we can conclude that from September 1805 to January 1806, the mother of the future vice admiral did not go to Tver. It would have been practically impossible for her to travel to the Tver province in January 1806. In Irkutsk, the average January temperature is -20°, and there are often days when the thermometer drops below -40°. It was almost as cold everywhere. Sending a pregnant woman in her ninth month on the road would be pointless and extremely dangerous. In addition, it was almost impossible to physically get to our native places from January 2 to February 1. “Guide to the Great Siberian Railway” (St. Petersburg, 1900. p. 591) reports that the distance from Irkutsk to Moscow along this highway, laid along a route not much different from the Moscow highway, is 5,108 centuries, i.e. . 5,450 km. Adding another 140 km from Moscow to Tver, we get a total of 5,590 km. This distance could be covered in 30 days, driving 186 km per day. However, only couriers drove at that speed back then. As for ordinary passengers, in the first half of the 19th century. their average speed during long journeys was 40–125 km per day.

It remains to be admitted that, despite the forced incorrect instructions from the Kornilovs about the place of birth of their son, Vladimir Alekseevich was born in Irkutsk.

In Irkutsk A.M. Kornilov lived in a wooden one-story house, built in 1801 according to the design of the architect A.I. Losev for the Irkutsk military governor. Military Governor H.P. Lebedev held this position in 1802–1803, after which on the plans of Irkutsk in 1805–1806 and 1829. the building is marked as the governor's house. On the plan of Irkutsk in 1868, the explication about this house says: “The former governor’s house, the Amur Hotel.” The building was located on the corner of Tikhvinskaya and Kharinskaya streets (now the corner of Sukhbaatar and Nekrasov streets, free space in front of the biological building of ISU), next to the Angara hotel. Judging by the plans, the house was about 30 m long and about 15 m wide. This building burned down in a fire in 1879. It seems that the time has come to raise the question of installing a monument to V.A. on this site. Kornilov.

Dulov A.V. Irkutsk is 350 years old - history and modernity: Materials of the All-Russian scientific and practical conference. Irkutsk, 2011. pp. 152-160.

Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich- the son of the Irkutsk governor, who served in the navy in his youth and distinguished himself “during the battle of the Russian galley fleet with the Swedish one,” Vladimir Kornilov graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps. After that, he was supposed to set off on a circumnavigation of the world on the sailing ship “Smirny”, but the sloop, pretty battered in storms, did not complete its task and returned to Kronstadt. In the capital, Kornilov was enrolled in the Guards crew, but was soon expelled: and here it was his own fault, social life attracted the young handsome man much more than service with its strict discipline.

Who knows what fate would have awaited Vladimir Kornilov if his father had not intervened in the matter. After parental encouragement, the young man returned to the fleet. And he ended up on the battleship "Azov" under the command.

Together with Lieutenant Nakhimov and midshipman Kornilov, who was 22 years old at that time, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Navarino (October 1827). He commanded three guns and showed himself, according to Lazarev, “one of the most active, efficient and executive officers.” It was Lazarev who saw in Kornilov the makings of an outstanding sailor, and therefore made increased demands on him. The young man considered this attitude to be nagging. And one day Lazarev posed the question point blank: does Mr. Midshipman intend to continue serving in the navy or not?! Having received an affirmative answer, Mikhail Petrovich had a long and serious conversation with Kornilov, at the end of which he threw overboard all the French novels, of which there were many in his cabin, and instead provided the young officer with books on maritime affairs. And it was as if Kornilov had been replaced: not a trace remained of the secular rake.

Kornilov on the ship "Twelve Apostles"

In 1840, he was entrusted with the battleship "Twelve Apostles" with 120 guns on board. At that time, it was the most modern sailing ship in the Russian fleet. Moreover, this beautiful and elegant ship had no equal in its combat qualities in the whole world!

The Lazarev school was not in vain - Kornilov organized the service on the ship in such a way that Vladimir Alekseevich’s former mentor himself recognized it as exemplary.

Kornilov on the Black Sea

Having become chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849, Kornilov set about creating a steam fleet. And just four years later he had the opportunity to test what his brainchild was capable of: the steam frigate “Vladimir” proved its clear superiority in a battle with a Turkish steamer.

Kornilov in the defense of Sevastopol

When British and French troops landed in Yevpatoria in September 1854, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Crimea, Prince Menshikov, ordered Kornilov to scuttle the fleet and use the sailors and guns in the land defense of Sevastopol. Kornilov did not agree: he proposed attacking the enemy, forcing a battle and thwarting the enemy’s further plans. In response, Menshikov ordered Kornilov to surrender command. To this Kornilov exclaimed:

“This is suicide... what you are forcing me to do... but it is impossible for me to leave Sevastopol surrounded by the enemy! I am ready to obey you."

And after the sinking of the fleet he dropped:

“Moscow burned, but Rus' did not die from this, on the contrary, it became stronger! God is merciful! Let’s pray to him and not allow the enemy to conquer us!”

And he organized the defense of the city, gaining fame as the founder of positional methods of warfare.

The heroic death of Admiral Kornilov

Vladimir Alekseevich died on the day of the first bombing of Sevastopol. By circling positions and ignoring requests to take care of himself (“Don’t stop me from doing my duty!”), Kornilov became a target for the enemy core. It crushed his leg and caused a wound in his stomach. Dying, the vice admiral whispered:

“God bless Russia and the sovereign, save Sevastopol and the fleet!”