person
Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyaev
General Chernyaev
also: Черняев, General Chernyaev, Chernyaev
Russian general (1828-1898), celebrated as the volunteer commander of Serbian forces against the Ottomans in 1876-77 and later governor-general of Turkestan; Chekhov's uncle Mitrofan Yegorovich had evidently asked for his address, and Chekhov reports him currently out of Petersburg, reachable via his usual Bolshaya Morskaya hotel or, more reliably, care of the War Ministry's Military Council. See also the unrelated, the patriotic tune named for him.
Reading notes
- To M. Ye. Chekhov, 13 March 1891. Petersburg. §3 General Chernyaev
Almost certainly Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyaev (1828-1898), the well-known Russian general who led Serbian volunteer forces against the Ottomans in 1876-77 and later served as governor-general of Turkestan; his fame made him a natural figure for the uncle to want an address for. Chekhov gives the practical detail that the surest way to reach him is through his official post at the War Ministry's Military Council rather than his usual Petersburg hotel, since he travels.