A few days prior to his departure he sent a million in assignats (40,000_l._) to M.de Bouille, to furnish the rations and forage, as well as to pay the faithful troops who were destined to favour his flight.

These arrangements made, the Marquis de Bouille despatched a trusty officer of his staff, M.de Guoguelas, with instructions to make a minute and accurate survey of the road and country between Chalons and Montmedy, and to deliver an exact report to the king.

This officer saw the king, and brought back his orders to M.de Bouille.
In the meantime M.de Bouille held himself in readiness to execute all that had been agreed upon; he had sent to a distance the disaffected troops, and concentrated the twelve foreign battalions on which he could rely.

A train of sixteen pieces of artillery was sent towards Montmedy.
The regiment of _Royal Allemand_ arrived at Stenay, a squadron of hussars was at Dun, another at Varennes; two squadrons of dragoons were to be at Clermont on the day the king would pass through; they were commanded by Count Charles de Damas, a bold and dashing officer, who had instructions to send forward a detachment to Sainte Menehould, and fifty hussars, detached from Varennes, were to march to Pont Sommeville between Chalons and Sainte Menehould, under pretence of securing the safe passage of a large sum of money sent from Paris to pay the troops.
Thus once through Chalons the king's carriage would be surrounded at each relay by tried and faithful followers.

The commanding officers of these detachments had instructions to approach the window of the carriage whilst they changed horses, and to receive any orders the king might think proper to issue.