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330 be advanced towards St. Dizier. The right wing of the army, the 2d Bavarian corps, remained in the vicinity of Nancy. On the 17th the head-quarters of the Third Army were changed to Nancy, and the 1st Bavarian corps moved forward to St. Nicholas, which is on the left bank of the Meurthe. The nearest objective point of the Third Army was the fortress of Toul. The 6th corps had been somewhat scattered, and on the 16th and 17th the various divisions were brought together, so that they reached Bayon on the 18th. The Prussian army was arranged—previous to the decisive battle of Gravelotte, so that one portion of it could attack Metz, while another could continue the advance on Paris.

The Second Army arrived at the Moselle on the 16th. The 4th corps and the Prussian Guards moved in the direction of Toul, the former going to Siazeray, and the other to Bernecourt. It was by no means certain whether the French army would retreat to Verdun, or give battle at Metz, or in its neighborhood. The latter alternative was forced by the attack made by the 3d and 9th corps, and consequently it was advisable for the Germans to concentrate as much as possible before the opening of the final battle.

Orders were issued by Prince Frederick Charles during the evening of the 16th for the concentration of the Second Army on the battle-field of that day. The 12th corps was ordered to move immediately from Pont-a-Mousson to Mars-la-Tour, and the Saxon corps was brought to a point not far from Mars-la-Tour. The longest march of the Second Army was performed by the Guards, who had a distance of nineteen miles to travel from Bernecourt, which they accomplished in ten hours. Nearly all the French troops had been concentrated on the left bank of the Moselle, and consequently there was no great danger of a sortie from Metz towards the east or south. The German commanders decided that a single