At eight o'clock the order for the next day's march came out, and two of the king's orderlies started on horseback with copies of it to the commanders of brigades, who in their turn communicated to the colonels of their respective regiments.
The next evening the force encamped round Torgau, a very strong fortress, where a great store of provisions had been collected.
Ample quarters were assigned to the marshal and his staff in the town.

Here they halted for a day to allow the other armies, which had both farther to march, to keep abreast of them on their respective lines of route.
Then, following the Elbe, the army arrived after two marches in front of Dresden.

The court of Saxony had, for years, been wasting the revenues of the country in extravagance and luxury; while intriguing incessantly with Austria, and dreaming of obtaining an increase of territory at the expense of Prussia.

No effort had been made to prepare to carry out the engagements entered into with Austria; and the army, utterly neglected, numbered but some fifteen thousand.

These were scattered over the country, and but poorly provided with artillery.
When, then, the news arrived that three Prussian armies had crossed the frontier, there was no thought of resistance; but orders were despatched for the whole force to concentrate at Pirna, a strongly fortified camp among the defiles of the mountains separating Saxony from Bohemia.