TURCHIN, John Basil, or Ivan Vasilevitch Turchininoff, soldier, born in the province of Don, Russia, 30 January, 1822. He entered the artillery-school at St. Petersburg in 1836, was graduated in 1841, and entered the horse-artillery service as an ensign, he participated in the Hungarian campaign, in 1849 entered the military academy for officers of the general staff, was graduated in 1852, and was assigned to the staff of the Imperial guards. During the Crimean war he was promoted till he reached the grade of colonel, was senior staff-officer of the active corps, and prepared the plan that was adopted for the defence of the coast of Finland. He came to the United States in 1856, and was employed in the engineer department of the Illinois Central railroad company until 19 June, 1861, when he was appointed colonel of the 19th Illinois volunteers. He served with his regiment in Missouri, Kentucky, and Alabama, where he took an active part in the capture of Huntsville and Decatur. He was promoted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers, 17 July, 1862, served in the cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland, and resigned, 10 October, 1864. After the close of the war he was a solicitor of patents in Chicago till 1870, for the next three years was employed as a civil engineer, and in 1873 he established the Polish colony of Radone, in Washington county, Illinois, where he now (1889) resides on a farm. He is an occasional contributor of scientific and military articles to periodicals. In January, 1865, he wrote "Military Rambles," a series of criticisms, issued monthly at Chicago, and he has also published " The Campaign and Battle of Chickamauga" (Chicago, 1888).