
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
A bleak 1757 winter drapes Silesia in ice and famine, where armies clash and ordinary folk freeze beneath the same ruthless sky. Amid the wreckage of Rosbach, the charismatic French Captain St. Arnaud—more accustomed to the glitter of Versailles than the bite of snow—finds himself alone, his elegant uniform stripped of comfort but not of resolve. He confronts the desolation with a wry, philosophical humor that masks a deeper struggle for survival.
When a lone, rag‑clad private appears beside him, the two form an unlikely bond in the frozen wilderness. Their brief exchange hints at a partnership that will carry them through battles, betrayals, and the relentless march of history. Listeners are drawn into a vivid tableau of 18th‑century war, where personal honor collides with the harsh demands of nature, setting the stage for a journey that tests both spirit and skin.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (352K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1899,pubdate 1900.
Credits
D A Alexander, Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois, for a scan of the publisher's cover and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by University of California libraries)
Release date
2022-07-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1860–1916
Known for lively historical romances and sea stories, this Virginia-born writer published widely in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her work ranged from fiction for young readers to nonfiction and newspaper commentary, reflecting both her storytelling energy and the debates of her time.
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