The Forgotten Age of Military History
Before Waterloo, before Gettysburg, before Napoleon. The 18th century is where modern warfare was born, but almost nobody is talking about it.
If You Love the Napoleonic Wars or the American Civil War, you're Missing the Origin Story.
The tactics, the commanders, the weapons, the doctrine, it all traces back to one overlooked area of military conflict. The Seven Years War. The War of Austrian Succession. The American Revolution. These weren't footnotes. They were the laboratory where modern warfare was invented.
Prime & Load is the podcast dedicated to bringing this forgotten age back to life. Hosted by two history PhDs and a U.S. military veteran, we bring this foundational period to life.
Dr. Alexander Burns
Dr. Alexander S. Burns is an assistant professor of history at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Dr. Burns studies North America and military Europe in the eighteenth century. Recently, he edited a Festschrift in honor of the late Christopher Duffy, The Changing Face of Old Regime Warfare: Essays in Honour of Christopher Duffy (Helion Press, 2022); and has authored Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 (Helion Press, 2025).
Dr. Andrew Bamford
Andrew obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds and has subsequently produced a number of books on the Napoleonic Wars, before being invited, in 2015, to set up and run the From Reason to Revolution book series for Helion and Company.
This enabled him to pursue his interests in eighteenth-century topics including the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and the British Army’s European campaigns of the 1740s and 1750s.
Since 2023, Andrew has also worked for a the military museum sector and is now a freelance historian and editor; as a sideline, he is also a scenario designer for the Wargames Design Studio.
Lee Gugino
Lee has loved history since at an early age but didn't pursue higher ed right away. Instead, Lee joined the United States Marine Corps and has since been all over the world.
Between deployments, Lee finally completed his degree in Cinema Production and opened Historic Studios specializing in history focused audio and video content.
Most recently, Lee has joined the Marine Corp History Division and has been able to combining his love of history with his military service.
"Love the podcast! Stumbled onto your Twitter page and then checked out the podcast. I really like the back and forth between you guys and your guests. Of course the battle episodes are great! But, the broader character or thematic studies are probably my favorites."
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New to Prime & Load?
Start Here
Ep 2: Beginners Guide to 18th Century Warfare, Part I
Intro to Tactics
Branches if the Armes
Men of the Army
Ep 4: Beginners Guide to 18th Century Warfare, Part II
Social History of the Army
Changes in Tactics
Commander Profiles
Ep 5: The Battle of Lexington & Concord
Battle Episode
National Parks Rangers
Celebrate the 250th!
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