Soubise himself felt no confidence in his troops, but upon the other hand his officers and those of the Confederate army were puffed up with vanity, and remonstrated hotly against retreat.
The next day Frederick came in sight of Soubise's army, which was camped on a height near the town of Weissenfels.

Frederick had but one-half of his force with him, the other half, under Keith, being still detached.

Five thousand men garrisoned Weissenfels, but Frederick made short work of the place.

His cannon burst down the gates, and his troops rushed forward with all speed; but the garrison fled across the bridge over the Saale, which had already been prepared for burning; and they set it on fire in such haste that four hundred were unable to cross, and were made prisoners.
The fugitives joined their army on the other side of the Elbe, and its guns opened upon the burning bridge, to prevent the Prussians from trying to extinguish the flames.
The Prussians returned the fire, and the artillery duel was kept up until three o'clock, by which time the bridge was consumed.
Frederick had already fixed upon a spot suitable for the erection of another, and during the night, while the enemy were falling back to take up a fresh position upon higher ground, the engineers, working diligently, succeeded in throwing a bridge across.
Keith arrived at Merseburg the next morning.

A strong force lay opposite, ready to dispute the passage; but when Soubise found that the king was crossing by his new bridge, he called in all his detachments and marched away, to a strong position, and there set himself in array ready to receive an attack.