Alexander Fomich Petrushevsky (;
pre-1918 Russian orthography: Александръ Ѳомичъ Петрушевскій) was a Russian lieutenant-general and a well-known biographer of
Suvorov
Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire.
Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...
.
Life
Born in 1826, after graduating from the Noble Regiment in 1844 was promoted to
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
in the
field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the ear ...
, enrolled in the
Guards Artillery, served in the
Main Artillery Directorate and finished his service as manager of the
Main Hospital Committee. In 1863 he was promoted to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
, in 1870 — to
major-general, in 1879 — to
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
, between 1886 and 1887 he retired due to illness. He died in 1902.
Petrushevsky was an active member of the St. Petersburg Literacy Committee.
Works
* Petrushevsky is known for his capital work ''Generalissimo Prince Suvorov'' (; 3 vols.), which was awarded by the
Imperial Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...
the 1st
Macarius Prize and had two editions (1884 and 1900); for the same work the
Nicholas General Staff Academy elected Petrushevsky its honorary member (1901). This biography is based on sources that are largely manuscript and have remained unknown until then.
A supplement to this work is:
* Petrushevsky's article in ''
Russian Mind'' (1887, No. 5);
* ''The significance of Suvorov for his and our time'' () and an extract from it for popular reading under the title ''Stories about Suvorov'' (;
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, 1885; 2nd ed., 1891).
In addition, Petrushevsky wrote a number of articles (''On the scientific education of
Feuerwerker
''Feuerwerker'' (ordnance technician or specialist, literally 'fire worker') are specialists in the armed forces of German-speaking countries responsible for the maintenance of ammunition.
From the late Middle Ages until the Early modern period a ...
'' (), ''Artillery Magazine'' (), 1857, No. 5; ''On the education of lower ranks'' (), ''Artillery Magazine'', 1859; ''On the free sale of gunpowder and the provision of saltpeter'' (), ''Artillery Magazine'', 1868, Nos. 5 and 6, etc.) and published a number of popular and educational books for troops and people:
* ''Russian ABC for soldiers'' () and ''Prescriptions for soldiers'' () (St. Petersburg, 1859);
* ''Stories about the old time in Russia'' (; St. Petersburg, 1866, 12 ed.);
* ''Tale of
Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (; ; monastic name: ''Aleksiy''; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) was Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1249–1263), and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–1263).
...
'' (; St. Petersburg, 1867; 2 ed.);
* ''Stories about
Peter the Great
Peter I (, ;
– ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...
'' (; St. Petersburg, 1885, 7 ed.);
* and others.
For the last three works the author was twice awarded by the Literacy Committee — first prizes, and by the Scientific Committee of the
Ministry of State Property — gold medals.
In 1864 Petrushevsky, together with I. S. Kuznetsov, printed, without authors' names, ''Good reading of
Orthodox Christians'' (), which was published in 5 editions.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrushevsky, Alexander
1826 births
1904 deaths
Imperial Russian Army generals
Military writers from the Russian Empire