About this book
The Two Great Retreats of History by Philippe-Paul Ségur delivers a gripping double portrait of military catastrophe and human endurance, pairing the ancient Retreat of the Ten Thousand with Napoleon’s catastrophic retreat from Moscow. This history and war stories collection juxtaposes Xenophon’s eyewitness legacy (as rendered through Grote) with Ségur’s vivid 19th-century account, guided by introductions and explanatory notes that illuminate context, geography, and the political stakes behind each march.
Listeners will encounter themes of leadership under pressure, the logistics of large-scale movement, the cruelty of climate and terrain, and the moral strains that fracture armies. The narrative traces the Ten Thousand’s desperate passage from Persian lands to the Black Sea and follows the Grande Armée’s collapse amid scorched earth and Russian winter, emphasizing strategy, courage, and the limits of imperial ambition without revealing pivotal outcomes.
Ideal for history buffs, military and strategy enthusiasts, students of leadership, and listeners drawn to true war stories and survival narratives, this audiobook offers both scholarly framing and dramatic storytelling—an accessible, illuminating exploration of two of history’s most extraordinary retreats.
