History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20

In the waning years of the Seven‑Years’ War, Frederick the Great confronts a crisis that will test every ounce of his military genius. The narrative opens in spring 1760, when the Prussian king, still haunted by earlier defeats, must hold Saxony against a vastly larger foe. His only reliable weapon is the speed and daring of his marches, turning a single, exhausted army into a force that repeatedly outmaneuvers three enemy contingents at once.

Carlyle sketches the precarious front lines stretched from Meissen to the Elbe, describing how Frederick positions his camps at Katzenhauser and Schlettau while the Austrian commander Daun loiters nearby, unable to strike. The drama lies in the constant tug‑of‑war between dwindling resources and the king’s unflagging ingenuity, as both sides scramble for advantage across a half‑a‑dozen hundred miles of terrain.

Listeners will be drawn into the tension of a brilliant strategist wrestling with fate, feeling the fatigue of exhausted horses and the relentless march of history as it unfolds on the battlefield.