Linevich, Nikolai Petrovich

Born in Chernigov , in a noble family. He was a descendant of Karp Linevich, the centurion of the Chernigov regiment .

• In 1855, N.P. Linevich enlisted in the military service in the reserve battalion of the Sevsky infantry regiment .
• In 1856 he was promoted to ensign in the 58th Prague Infantry Regiment , stationed in the Caucasus.
• First, he was transferred from the Prague regiment to the 78th Navaginsky Infantry Regiment , and in 1862 to the 75th Sevastopol Infantry Regiment.
• In 1862, in the ranks of the 75th Sevastopol Infantry Regiment , he participated in military operations against the Highlanders in the Caucasus.
• He participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 (wounded).
• 1877 - commander of the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Battalion.
• 1879 - commander of the 84th Shirvan Infantry Regiment .
• 10/15/1885–10.07.1895 - Head of the 2nd Trans-Caspian Rifle Brigade.
• 07/10/1895 - 06/18/1900 - commander of the troops of the South Ussuri department.
• 06/18/1900 - 07/31/1900 - commander of the Siberian Army Corps.
• 07/31/1900 - 02.10.1903 - commander of the 1st Siberian Army Corps .
• 1900-1901, during a campaign in Beijing to suppress the Ihetuan uprising, he commanded a Russian detachment. De facto led the Expeditionary Force of the Allied Powers in China.
• 10/02/1903 - 10/22/1904 - the commander of the troops of the Amur Military District, and. D. Governor-General of the Amur region and the military punishment chieftain of the Amur Cossack troops.
  • 01/30/1904 - 03/23/1904 - temporarily commanded the Manchurian army operating against the Japanese until the arrival of March 15 A.N. Kuropatkin .
• 10.22.1904 - 03.03.1905 - During the formation of new armies in October 1904, he was appointed commander of the 1st Manchu Army.
• 03.03.1905 - 03.02.1906 - Commander-in-chief of the land and naval armed forces operating against Japan.

Linevich in the Caucasus

In 1855, at the end of the Chernigov Provincial Gymnasium, 17-year-old Nikolai Linevich joined the military cunk and already in 1856, without a military education, was promoted to ensign of the 58th Infantry Prague (Prague) Regiment. Soon he was transferred first to the 78th Infantry Navaginsky, and in 1862 - to the 75th Sevastopol Infantry Regiment, who were in the Caucasus at that time. In the 75th Sevastopol regiment, Linevich received his baptism of fire, being with the regiment as part of the Dakhov detachment , operating in the Caucasus in the lands of the mountaineers- Abadzekhs , between the rivers Pshekh and Belaya. Linevich’s track record includes many battles and skirmishes with the highlanders of Adygea , Chechnya (as part of the Chechen detachment ^[2] ) and Dagestan in 1862-1864, in which he participated in the role of company commander. Over the years, Linevich gained a reputation as a brave officer and an excellent combatant, as he was the best gymnast, shooter and fencer in the regiment. For military distinctions, he was promoted to second lieutenant, and then to lieutenant and awarded the orders of St. Stanislav and St. Anna with swords and a bow. At the end of 1867, Linevich was sent to Tiflis , to the Caucasian training company, in which he remained for 10 years, enjoying great authority among his superiors, as an excellent expert on military affairs and all issues of military life.

With the beginning of the Russian-Turkish War in April 1877, N.P. Linevich, at his own request, was assigned to the 15th Grenadier Tiflis Regiment, which was part of the Kars detachment, with which he participated in the first battles near Kars . In August 1877, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, Linevich took command of the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Battalion, which was part of the Kobulet detachment of General I.D. Oklobzhio, and participated in the battles of the Batumi Operation, commanding the right flank at a position near Mukhaestat. In a battle on the Gintrish River, attacking the Turks on the Tsikhis-Dzir Heights, on April 18, 1878, Linevich was wounded with one bullet in the arm, two bullets in the leg and shell-shocked in the side. For the distinction at Batum, he was awarded (December 29, 1878) the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, a golden saber with the inscription "For Courage" and the rank of colonel. After the end of the war of 1877-1878, Linevich returned to Tiflis with a reputation as a brave officer, cold-blooded in battle and the commanding officer of the unit.

In 1879, just 40 years old, N.P. Linevich was appointed commander of the 84th Shirvan Infantry Regiment, which he commanded for 6 years. It was a brilliant period in the history of the regiment. According to the chiefs, Linevich always set an example of vigorous activity and energy. Hence, all the officers of the regiment with rare diligence carried their official work. The corps commander, Lieutenant General Dzhemadzhidze, wrote in one of the orders that in the Shirvan regiment both the entire regiment and each of its companies are equally different.

Linevich in Transcaspia

In December 1885, N.P. Linevich received the rank of major general and was appointed commander of the 2nd Trans-Caspian Rifle Brigade, parts of which were scattered from Ashgabat to Merv . Colonel Linevich put all his energy and career experience into the organization and training of young Trans-Caspian battalions. In 1888, during an aggravation on the border with Afghanistan , Linevich formed and led the Takhta-Bazar Observation Squad ^[3] . When a strong cholera epidemic broke out in Merv in 1892, decisive measures by Linevich to stop it were attracted attention in St. Petersburg.

Beijing Campaign

In 1898, the Ihehtuan (Boxing) uprising broke out in the Qing Empire. The uprising continued until 1901 inclusive. In mid-June 1900, the Ihe-Tuan Chinese entered Beijing, where they began the siege of the embassy quarter, which lasted 56 days. During the siege, the German envoy Count Ketteler was killed. June 18, 1900 N.P. Linevich was appointed commander of the Siberian Corps, formed from the troops of the South Ussuri Division. On June 23, 1900 , the rebels attacked the builders of the Chinese Eastern Railway and began massacres, the destruction of the railway track and station buildings ...

Affected and insulted powers (Great Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Japan, USA, Italy and Russia) organized an intervention in China. At the suggestion of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and with the consent of the participating countries, the Prussian Field-Marshal Alfred von Waldersee was appointed commander-in-chief of the international forces of the Alliance of Eight Powers ^[4] . At the head of the Russian detachment was placed General A. M. Stessel.

Meanwhile, N.P. Linevich arrived in Port Arthur and remained out of work for some time. However, the slowness of General Stessel prompted the Russian governor in the Far East, General E.I. Alekseev, to send Linevich to Tianjin . Linevich arrived in Tianjin on July 18, 1900. Upon arrival in Tianjin, the new chief of the Russian Pecheli ^[5] expeditionary detachment, he immediately introduced himself to all the commanders of the international detachments who treated with due attention and respect to the authority and military experience of the Russian general.

- wrote a contemporary ^[6] . On the third day after his arrival, General Linevich, along with Generals Stessel and Vasilevsky, traveled around our positions and reconnoitered advanced Chinese positions near Beitsan, 8 miles from Tianjin. With the arrival of General Linevich, the Russian general became the senior among other commanders, followed by senior officer of the Japanese detachment, Lieutenant General Yamaguchi, a famous figure in the Sino-Japanese War ...

On July 21, General Linevich invited allied commanders to the military council. All the commanders and chiefs of their staffs were present. Chaired by Linevich. By the general decision of all commanders, N.P. Linevich was temporarily (until the arrival of Waldersee), placed at the head of the combined contingent, sometimes referred to as the International Liberation Expedition (MOE). Now under the leadership of Linevich, there were 45,000 soldiers of the countries of the Alliance ... At the military council, which lasted several hours, it was decided, at the special insistence of General Yamaguchi, to attack the combined forces of Beijiang the next day at night, in which the Chinese troops were strengthened. Russians, French, Germans, Italians and Austrians will move from the right flank, and Japanese, British and Americans from the left. It was supposed to surround Beijiang from all sides. The attacking forces will constitute a detachment of 15 thousand people. 6,000 international troops, under the general command of Colonel Anisimov, remain in Tianjin to guard the city, in view of a possible attack by newly arriving Chinese troops recently expelled from the southern provinces.

Linevich’s decision to attack, despite the extreme heat (over 40 degrees), extreme food scarcity and conflicting information about the Chinese forces near Beijing, was met by the protest of General Stessel, who wrote to Linevich on July 29:

Linevich answered this letter briefly:

Already on the 22nd, his corps launched an offensive against Beijing. Under the leadership of N.P. Linevich, on August 13, a meeting of the commanders of detachments of the MOE took place, at which a plan for storming Beijing was developed. Cossack patrols conducted reconnaissance in the direction of a future strike. On August 14 (n.a.), the corps of N.P. Linevich stormed Beijing , and the Russian column was the first to enter the city, having suffered losses of 140 people. The unexpected assault on Beijing caused a sensation in Europe, Linevich immediately gained fame as an energetic and courageous general. On August 18/5, 1900, "for the victories and the quick occupation of the Chinese capital," Nicholas II awarded him the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, he was awarded the highest orders of the allied countries: German, French, Austrian and Japanese. After the capture of Beijing, General Linevich took a number of measures to destroy the remnants of Chinese troops and rebel units in the vicinity of the capital, and when concentrating Russian troops for the winter in Tianjin, he gave very useful instructions for deploying troops and their attitude towards civilians.

In April-May 1901, Linevich smashed boxers in areas of Manchuria adjacent to Ussuri. In the years 1901-1903. commanded the Russian contingents in the South Ussuri department and in Hunchun .

Russo-Japanese War

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904, General N.P. Linevich left for Liaoyang , where he entered the interim command of the Russian army in the Far East . In the list of candidates for army commanders presented to Emperor Nicholas II, the name of Linevich was the first, but the choice fell on Minister of War A.N. Kuropatkin . On March 15, 1904, the appointed commander Kuropatkin and Linevich arrived at the end of March and returned to Khabarovsk .

Only after the battles at Shah, with the division of Russian troops into three armies, A.N. Kuropatkin October 22, 1904 proposed N.P. Linevich command of the 1st Manchu army , composed of four Siberian corps and a detachment of General Rennenkampf. Linevich accepted the offer. At the meetings of the Commander-in-Chief N.P. Linevich has always stood for the most decisive continuation of operations ^[7] .

Mukden battle

In the last days of the battle of Mukden, units of the 1st Manchu army ^[8] , commanded by Linevich, in full battle order retreated from Fushani to Telin , two other Russian armies were in a sack in the Mukden area. According to the Berliner Tageblatt ,

According to French military authorities,

The unsuccessful outcome of the battle of Mukden made it impossible to retain Kuropatkin as commander in chief. After the removal of Kuropatkin, March 3, 1905, Linevich was appointed in his place. The battle of Mukden so depleted the forces of both sides that neither the winner nor the defeated were able to continue their operations. Not a single big deal from this moment until the end of the war was. Linevich retained the positions to which the Russians were pushed back after the defeat at Mukden, but did not dare to go on the offensive, insisting on sending reinforcements with which he would be one and a half times stronger than the Japanese. The merit of Linevich is that after Mukden he did not go to Harbin, reassembled a formidable army, showed great activity in preparing future military operations and inspired the Japanese with doubt about future successes. When the rumors about peace began, Linevich, together with Kuropatkin, sent telegrams to St. Petersburg in which he said that victory was secured, the world would be a terrible misfortune.

After the conclusion of peace, Linevich remained in Manchuria, in charge of the evacuation of troops, hampered by strikes on the railway and riots. Linevich’s unwillingness to resort to drastic measures against strikers, strikers and reserve soldiers was blamed on the general: on February 6, 1906 he was removed from his post as commander-in-chief and recalled to Russia, an investigation was launched against him on charges of “inaction of the authorities.” On this occasion, Linevich wrote to the emperor on April 28, 1906:

For eight months, the general was under investigation, but then Nicholas II ordered the case to be stopped and even awarded Linevich with the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his service.

Death

Adjutant General N.P. Linevich died in 1908. The death of Linevich was met by the general sadness of the participants in the Manchurian campaign. His memory was honored with a special wreath laid on the coffin, and his recent enemies - the Japanese. He was buried in the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

His son Alexander is a colonel, cavalier of St. George.

• Joined the service (02/14/1855) ^[10]
• Ensign (12/25/1856)
• Second Lieutenant (11/14/1860)
• Lieutenant (12.22.1863)
• Headquarters Captain (01/03/1867)
• Captain (02/02/1869)
• Major (11/21/1871)
• Lieutenant Colonel (08/30/1875)
• Colonel (12/21/1878)
• Major General (08/30/1891)
• Lieutenant General (12/06/1899)
• General from Infantry (08.21.1904)
• Adjutant General (10/04/1905)

• Order of St. Stanislav 3 tbsp. with swords and bow (1864) ^[10]
• Order of St. Anne 3 tbsp. with swords and bow (1866)
• Order of St. Stanislav 2 tbsp. (1878)
• Golden saber “For courage” (1878)
• Order of St. George 4 tbsp. (1878)
• Order of St. Vladimir 4 tbsp. (1879)
• Order of St. Anne 2 tbsp. (1883)
• Order of St. Vladimir 3 tbsp. (1884)
• Order of St. Stanislav 1 tbsp. (1895)
• Badge of the Immaculate Service for XL years (1898)
• Order of St. George 3 tbsp. (1900)
• Order of St. Anne 1 tbsp. with swords (1901)
• Order of St. Vladimir 2 tbsp. (1906)

Foreign:

• Bukhara Order of Noble Bukhara 1 tbsp. (1893)
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 2 tbsp. (1898)
• Chinese Order of the Double Dragon 1 tbsp. with a star (1899)
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 1 tbsp. (1901)
• Belgian Order of St. Stephen 1 tbsp. with swords (1902)
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 1 tbsp.

• Unpublished memoirs of Linevich (19 notebooks).
• Kuropatkin A.N., Linevich N.P. The Russo-Japanese War: from the diaries of A.N. Kuropatkin and N.P. Linevich / foreword. M.N. Pokrovsky L.: State Publishing House, 1925.

The village of Linevichi in the Ussuriisk urban district of the Primorsky Territory is named after Nikolai Petrovich Linevich ^[11] .

• Beijiang // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Vodovozov V.V. Linevich, Nikolay Petrovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Kolyubakin B. M. Actions of the Kobulet detachment in 1877
• Materials for the description of hostilities in China. 1900 ed. ch. PC.
• Ovsyany N.R. Military operations in China. 1900-1901 SPb., 300 p. 1910
• Yanchevetsky D. G. At the walls of immovable China, St. Petersburg. - Port Arthur, publication P. A. Artemyev, 1903
• The official history of the war of 1904-05. T. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7
• Report of the commander of the 1st Manchurian Army in 1904
• Report by A. N. Kuropatkin T. 3 and 4
• V. Flug Strategic Deployment Plan for the Far East 1903 Military digest 1911
• V.A. A. General Linevich. "Chronicle of the war with Japan." Number 56
• A. Rogachevsky In memory of N.P. Linevich. Russian disabled person 1908 No. 90.
• P.A. Rossiev In memory of N.P. Linevich. Historical Bulletin 1908 No. 6.
• Adjutant General N.P. Linevich. Russian disabled person 1908 No. 85
• M. Menshikov The Last Leader. New time of 1908 No. 11524
• L Memory of N.P. Linevich., New time 1908 No. 11524
• Yu. Yelets In memory of General Linevich. New time of 1908 No. 11527
• The death of Adjutant General Linevich. Petersburg newspaper 1908 No. 100
• Last minutes N.P. Linevich. Exchange statements 1908 No. 10449
• Freg et Voyron. Rapport sur l'expedition de China, 1904 (French)
• Great Soviet Encyclopedia
• Fedorchenko V.I. Imperial House. Outstanding dignitaries: Encyclopedia of biographies: In 2 tons. - Krasnoyarsk: BONUS; M .: OLMA-PRESS, 2003.