ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author talks about Kornilov, who was born in 1870 at a Siberian garrison town, where his father – an officer in a Cossack regiment – was stationed. In 1883, by dint of hard work, much of it done on his own initiative, Kornilov gained admission into the Siberian Cadet School. Despite his early leanings towards exploration and scientific study, Kornilov had become a leader very much in the 'fighting general' tradition. To many Russians 'fighting general' was an emotive phrase: it conjured up the picture of a leader of men who was the antithesis of the desk-bound staff officer or bureaucrat, who would never hesitate to expose himself to danger, a hero in the tradition of Skobelev. The Russians had concentrated their lines of defence around the greatest natural obstacle to the Germans' progress, the bight of the Gulf of Riga.