Korsakov Mikhail Semenovich 
(01.01.1826–16.03.1871)

Russian statesman, Lieutenant General.

Born in the Dmitrov district of Moscow province. He studied at the school of the ensigns of the Guards and in 1845 was released to the Semenov regiment.

In 1848, Korsakov was appointed official on special assignments to HH Muravyov, Governor-General of Eastern Siberia.

The time of service of Korsakov in Siberia coincided with the beginning of extensive and complex activities, the result of which was the accession to Russia of the Amur region. At the beginning of 1849, Korsakov was sent on a secret mission to the Sea of Okhotsk to meet the Baikal transport sent for reconnaissance at the mouth of the Amur. In order to successfully complete this mission, he had to ride 1200 versts on horseback in 12 days.

Then Korsakov sailed along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk and was sent to St. Petersburg with a report about the edges he had visited so far almost unknown. From St. Petersburg he traveled by dry road 14,000 miles to Kamchatka, where he was sent to transport the port to Petropavlovsk.

In 1854, already in the rank of lieutenant colonel Korsakov, in Irkutsk, he disposed of all the preparatory work for equipping the Russian expedition to Amur; having traveled along the Amur along with Muraviev himself, he supervised the supply of Ayansk port and the coast of Kamchatka with all the necessary supplies.

In December 1854, Korsakov outfitted the second expedition to Amur, with which he sailed along the Amur in May 1855, after which he was appointed commander of the troops concentrated at the mouth of the Amur.

At the end of 1855 he was appointed military governor of the Trans-Baikal region and ataman of the Trans-Baikal Cossack army. This post he held for five years, having done an extremely large amount to settle a vast and almost deserted land. Korsakov substantiated his residence in Chita, which had just begun to transform into a city from a former fortress. Here masses of forest material and necessary household items were constantly procured, log houses were made. All this was immediately delivered to any newly established settlement. Very often the governor himself traveled to meet the caravans or accompanied them.

Korsakov did a great deal to free the serfs of His Majesty’s Cabinet from the serfs; he also paid great attention to the institution of schools. 
In 1860, he was appointed chairman of the council under the governor-general of Eastern Siberia, and in 1862 - governor-general; in 1863 he received the rank of lieutenant general.

During the period of the governor-general of Korsakov, the development of agriculture, heavy industry, and shipping along the most important rivers of Siberia began in the region, and the telegraph line connecting Irkutsk and St. Petersburg was completed.

Distinguished by extraordinary energy in his work, Korsakov was an exceptionally kind-hearted man and tried very hard to alleviate the situation of the criminals who were at work and at a settlement in Siberia; the indigenous population also saw care and attention on his part. 
Strenuous activity prematurely exhausted Korsakov's forces. In 1870, he could no longer fulfill the responsibilities of managing the region and was appointed a member of the State Council. 
The merits of Korsakov were awarded the orders of St. Anna 1 and 2 degrees, St. Stanislav 1 degree and 2 degrees with the imperial crown, St. Vladimir 2 and 3degrees, White Eagle.

He died in St. Petersburg. Buried in ancestral estate near Moscow. His funeral was honored by the presence of Emperor Alexander II.

Islands (Korsakov) in the Yenisei Gulf. In the XVIII – XIX centuries. They were known to Russian industrialists as Crestovie or Kamennie. The modern name is given by geologist I.A. Lopatin in 1866.