Mishchenko was born in 1853 in the Russian fortress settlement of
Temir-Khan-Shura in the
Dagestan Oblast of the
Caucasus Viceroyalty. He graduated in 1871 from
Pavlovsk Military School as an officer in the artillery, and was assigned to the 38th Artillery Brigade. He participated in the
Russian conquest of Central Asia in 1873. He subsequently participated in the
Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the conquest of
Russian Turkestan under General
Mikhail Skobelev. From 1899, Mischchenko was assigned to Russian-occupied
Manchuria as assistant chief of security for the
Chinese Eastern Railway. He fought during the
Boxer Rebellion, and afterwards was promoted to major general and decorated with the
Order of St. George (4th degree). From 1903, Mischchenko was commander of the
Trans-Baikal Cossack Brigade. During the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 he commanded a separate
East-Baikal Cossack Brigade, which was active in many of the battles of that war. Initially, his forces were in Korea, with instructions to obstruct the landing of the
Japanese First Army and its march towards
Manchuria. However, after several minor skirmishes, Mischchenko retreated across the
Yalu River. He played a minor role on the flanks of the
Battle of the Yalu River, and was also part of the Russian defenses at the
Battle of Hsimucheng, and
Battle of Te-li-Ssu. At the
Battle of Liaoyang and at the
Battle of Shaho, he commanded the Russian cavalry formations covering the rear guard of the Russian retreat. He was promoted to lieutenant general in October 1904, and appointed commander of the new Cavalier Corps in December 1904 and led a major raid south on 6 January 1905 with 6000 horsemen on a mission to destroy Japanese supplies stockpiled at
Niuzhuang. The mission was a disaster, and the force returned twelve days later with massive casualties. He was wounded in the leg during the
Battle of Sandepu and although reinstated as commander of the Cavalier Corps in March 1905, was not in the
Battle of Mukden. After the war, from 2 May 1908 to 17 March 1909, Mischchenko was commander of the
Turkestan Military District and Governor-General of Turkestan. He also was chieftain of the
Semirechye Cossack Host. He was promoted to General of Artillery in 1910, and from 1911 to 1912 was acting
ataman of the
Don Cossacks. With the start of
World War I, Mischchenko was appointed commander of the
2nd Caucasian Army Corps, and from 1915, the Russian 31st Army Corps on the
Southwestern Front. However, after the
February Revolution, he was dismissed from his posts by the new
Russian Provisional Government as part of a purge by the new government of known pro-monarchists, and retired from military service. He returned to his hometown of Temir-Khan-Shura, where he continued to wear his uniform and insignia. After the
October Revolution, local
Bolshevik authorities demanded that he surrender his decorations and epaulets, and when he resisted, he was manhandled and either committed suicide or murdered by the
Bolsheviks at his home. ==Honors==