Prime and Load!
Welcome to the Prime & Load Podcast! This podcast is dedicated to exploring the pivotal wars, battles, strategies, and figures that shaped the 18th century. From the rise of powerful empires to the dramatic shifts in military tactics, we delve into the stories behind the soldiers, commanders, and innovations that altered the course of history. Whether you’re a military history buff or just curious about this transformative period, we’ll guide you through the battles, conflicts, and the evolution of warfare that defined an era.
Episodes
Recommended Reading
Frederick the Great: A Military LifeBy: Christopher Duffy
Research on Saxon Army Loyalty & Desertion By: Markus von Salisch
Episode Summary
In October 1756, the Seven Years' War in Europe opened at Lobositz along the Elbe River. Fearing an anti-Prussian coalition, Frederick the Great launched a pre-emptive invasion of neutral Saxony, blockading 20,000 Saxons at Pirna. When Austrian Fiel...
Following the 1745 capture of Louisbourg, British ministers redirected General James St. Clair's Quebec-bound army to launch a surprise amphibious assault on Lorient, the primary Atlantic depot and shipyard of the French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes). Co-commanded by St. Clair and the contentious 70-year-old Admiral Richard Lestock, the 1746 Lorient Expedition quickly devolved into a logistical fiasco. Dis...
Recommended Reading:
The War of the Spanish Succession by James Falkner
Prince Eugene of Savoy by James Falkner
Episode Summary
For continental European powers in 1706, fighting against France was like being in a cage match with an 800-pound gorilla. Unlike the British, who had the English Channel to keep the French at arm's length, smaller states like Piedmont-Sardinia faced a lif...
Episode Summary
Today in 1776 General Sir William Howe launched his attack on Washington's army on Long Island. In this episode, hosts Dr. Alex Burns, Dr. Andrew Bamford, and Lee Gugino are joined once again by National Park Service historian Jason Wickersty.
In this episode, we'll talk about how the British lost the initial race to occupy New York and how Charles Lee turned the...
Recommended Reading:
The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution by Ira Gruber
Episode Summary
Was Sir William Howe a sluggish, indolent commander more interested in Mrs. Loring than winning a war, or was he the most sophisticated logistician of the 18th century? On this 250th anniversary of the 1776 New York Campaign, hosts Dr. Alex Burns, Dr. Andrew Bamford, and Lee Gugino ar...
Recommended Reading:
Episode Summary
In 1756, the shores of the Oswego River became a critical flashpoint that would determ...
Recommended Reading:
Iron and Blood by Peter Wilson
The Army of Frederick the Great by Christopher Duffy
Episode Summary
How did a "pancake flat" swamp in Northern Germany transform into the most formidable military machine in Europe? For much of the early 18th century, the Austrian Habsburgs mocked the Prussian military as an eccentric "pet project" of "toy soldiers". Yet, u...
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 the Declaration of Independence, ...
Episode Resources & Quick Links
Recommended Reading:
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 on the strategic "key to...
Unlock the Full Uncut Final
Join Our Newsletter
Recommended Reading:
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, harrowing aftermath of dispersed regiments and ...
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 300th-anniversary episode, the ta...
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 hung on a knife’s edge as ...
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 governed German Central Europe ...
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 candidly about what it takes to pu...
Episode Resources & Member Links
Recommended Reading:
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. While pop culture paints a picture of wild h...
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 moment, it looked like they had.
...
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 the friction of war.
Today on Prime & Load,...
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 Empires were hurling hundreds of th...
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 did not stop.
In this episode of Prime ...
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 rest of Europe.
In this episode, Lee Gugin...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!