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Text the show! Episode Resources & Links Unlock the Full Uncut Episode Recommended Reading: The Hessians  by Dr. Friederike Baer  The Hessian Mercenary State  by Charles Ingrao A Generous and Merciful Enemy  by Daniel Krebs Episode Summary "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny." With those words in...

Text the show! Episode Resources & Quick Links Unlock the Full Uncut Episode Here! Recommended Reading: The Wooden World  by N.A.M. Rodger Episode Summary Can a single lost island lead to the execution of a British Admiral by his own government? In 1756, a spark in the North American wilderness ignited a global conflict that would become the Seven Years' War. The French set their sights o...

Text the show! Unlock the Full Uncut Final Join Our Newsletter Recommended Reading: The '45  by Christopher Duffy  In Fight for a Throne  by Christopher Duffy  Episode Summary The smoke has cleared over Culloden Moor, but for the Jacobite cause, the disaster is only beginning. While popular memory often ends with the final charge, the reality of the "'45" was a protracted, harr...

Text the show! Join the Prime and Load War Room on Patreon Old Fort Niagara's 300th Birthday! Recommended Reading: Memoir Upon the Late War in North America  by Pierre Pouchot  The Siege of Fort Niagara 1759  by Brian Leigh Dunnigan Episode Summary For three centuries, a lone fortress has stood guard at the mouth of the Niagara River, witnessing the rise and fall of empires. In this special 3...

Text the show! Join the Prime & Load War Room Recommended Reading:   Great and Glorious Days  by James Faulkner   Marlborough as Military Commander  by David Chandler The Art of Warfare in the age of Marlborough  by David Chandler Episode Summary Could a single afternoon shatter the hegemony of the "Sun King" and reshape the map of Europe? In May 1706, the War of Spanish Succession h...

Text the show! Episode Resources & Quick Links Recommended Reading: The Holy Roman Empire in the 18th Century  and  Wurttemberg in the 18th Century  by  Peter Wilson Episode Summary Was the Holy Roman Empire really "not holy, not Roman, and not an empire"? Hosts Dr. Alexander Burns deconstruct Voltaire’s famous quip to reveal a sophisticated, decentralized political system that gover...

Text the show! It has been an incredible twelve months of deep dives, research, and podcasting. Today, Lee, Alex, and Andrew are taking a step back from the 18th century to take a personal look at everything that has happened with Prime & Load over the past year. We want to take this opportunity to reflect on how much the show has grown, share our favorite moments from behind the mic, and talk...

Text the show! Episode Resources & Member Links Unlock the Full Uncut Episode Join the Newsletter Recommended Reading: Culloden  by Murray Pittock  The 45  by Christopher Duffy Episode Summary Is the "Highland Charge" a romantic myth? In this edited episode of Prime and Load , we welcome back Dr. Aaron Johnston to deconstruct the final, bloody hours of the 1745 Jacobite Rising . Whil...

Text the show! In the spring of 1741, the Austrian high command looked at the Prussian Army and saw a joke. To the battle-hardened veterans of the Habsburg Empire, Frederick II’s men were nothing more than a parade-ground army obsessed with perfect drill, but completely untested in the mud and blood of real combat. At the Battle of Mollwitz, the Austrians intended to brush them aside. And for a mo...

Text the show! Decades before the American Revolution or the Seven Years' War, the British Empire assembled an armada of over 180 ships and 30,000 men. Their target: the Spanish stronghold of Cartagena de Indias. It was the largest expeditionary force the British had ever assembled, and it was supposed to be a crushing blow in the War of Jenkins' Ear . Instead, it became a masterclass in...

Text the show! When we think of 18th-century warfare, our minds usually jump to the fields of Flanders, the forests of North America, or the rolling hills of Central Europe. But while the Western powers were fighting over border forts and overseas colonies, a completely different scale of war was raging in the East. Across the vast, unforgiving expanse of the Pontic Steppe, the Russian and Ottoman...

Text the show! January 1746. The Jacobites have just won another stunning victory at Falkirk Muir . But instead of marching south, Bonnie Prince Charlie finds himself overruled by his war council and forced into a controversial retreat back into the Highlands. History often jumps straight from the victory at Falkirk to the tragedy at Culloden , ignoring the critical months in between. But the war...

Text the show! In the English-speaking world, we often view the French Army through the single lens of the Seven Years' War . We see the disaster: the loss of Canada, the retreat from India, and a reputation left in tatters. But this is a dangerously limited view of the 18th-century French War Machine. To judge them only by their defeats is to miss how they defined the very art of war for the...

Text the show! How do you turn the chaos of an 18th-century battlefield into a set of rules? How do you simulate the "fog of war" that plagued commanders like the Duke of Cumberland or Marshal Saxe? In this special episode of Prime & Load , we explore the art and science of Historical Wargaming . We are joined by Rich Hamilton and Gary McClellan from Wargame Design Studio (WDS). We d...

Text the show! Join the Prime and Load War Room on Patreon Recommended Reading: The '45  by Christopher Duffy  Rebellious Scots to Crush  by Andrew Bamford Can a victory be as damaging as a defeat? In January 1746, the Jacobite army had just completed a harrowing retreat from Derby, yet they were about to field the largest and most dangerous force of the entire war. Join hosts Dr. Alex Burns...

Text the show! On New Year’s Eve 1775, in the midst of a blinding blizzard, the Continental Army launched an assault on the fortress city of Quebec. It was the climax of the first major offensive of the American Revolution, a bold attempt by Congress to seize the "14th Colony" and drive the British Empire off the continent. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Paul Knight to break down...

Text the show! December 15, 1745. In the freezing snow outside Dresden, the Second Silesian War came to a bloody conclusion. The Battle of Kesselsdorf is often overshadowed by Frederick the Great’s personal victories, but it was arguably the most decisive engagement of the war. In this episode of Prime & Load, hosts Lee Gugino, Dr. Alex Burns, and Dr. Andrew Bamford break down the brutal clash...

Text the show! Join the War Room on Patreon Recommended Reading: The Fight for the Throne  by Christopher Duffy In December 1745, the Stuart restoration was just 120 miles away. The Jacobite army had outmaneuvered two government forces, captured the walled city of Carlisle , and stood at Derby with an open road to London. Join hosts Dr. Alexander Burns and Dr. Andrew Bamford as they welcome back D...

Text the show! They called them the “German Regiment,” but the 8th Virginia was more than that — a fascinating mix of frontier riflemen, Scots-Irish settlers, and German-speaking farmers who brought their own traditions to the fight for independence. In this episode of Prime & Load! , we’re joined by historian and author Gabe Neville , whose book The Last Men Standing: The 8th Virginia Regimen...

Text the show! This week on Prime & Load! we’re joined by Maj. Gen. Jason Bohm, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), author of Washington’s Marines . Together we explore the origins of the Continental Marines and their vital role in America’s fight for independence. From the early recruitment of Marines and their first amphibious assault in the Bahamas to their actions at Trenton and Princeton, Maj. Gen....

Text the show! It’s Halloween on Prime & Load! — and we’re diving into the darker side of 18th-century warfare. From French soldiers sent to hunt monsters in the countryside, to Eastern European patrols investigating reports of vampires, to Hessians in America spotting UFOs, these are the stranger campaigns may never read about in the history books. In this lighthearted but historically ground...

Text the show! The Sniper. The Frontiersman. The American Legend. Pop culture tells us the American Revolution was won by sharp-shooters hiding in the trees, picking off British officers with impossible accuracy. But how much of that is Hollywood myth, and how much is ballistic reality? In this episode of Prime & Load , host Lee Gugino and historian Dr. Alex Burns are joined by Dr. John Bradst...

Text the show! Its been a long time coming but we are proud to announce the Prime & Load Top Commander of the 18th Century!  Support the show General Recommended Reading The Military Experience in the Age of Reason, By Christopher Duffy Infantry in Battle 1733-1783, By Alexander Burns *All materials are affiliated links that earn the show commission. Using these links helps support the podcast...

Text the show! On the morning of September 30, 1745 , Frederick the Great faced one of the most perilous moments of his career. The Prussian army, just 22,000 strong, awoke in its Bohemian camp to find Austrian guns positioned on the heights above them — a force twice their size, ready to strike. What followed was a desperate battle of improvisation, aggression, and survival. In this episode of Pr...

Text the show! Dr. Arran Johnston returns to dive into the Jacobites! On the 280th anniversary of the Battle of Prestonpans, we explore the battle and its lead-up in depth. This massive episode is packed with fascinating details, so buckle up and get ready to talk Scots! Recommended Reading The Battles of Bonnie Prince Charlie: The Young Chevalier at War, Arran Johnston Valour Does Not Wait: The R...