 On May 30, 1653, following an earlier resolution of the "Tagsatzung" and earlier Bernese demands, Zürich assembled an army with recruits from its own territories, from the Thurgau, and from Schaffhausen under the command of Conrad Werdmüller with the task to break any armed resistance once and for all times.Some 8,000 men with 800 horses and 18 cannons marched towards the Aargau.Already three days later, Werdmüller's army controlled the important crossing of the river Reuss at Mellingen.