The bishop's reeve in the southern Grisons, Benedikt Fontana, was forced to leave his seat on the "Fürstenburg" at Burgeis in the Vinschgau. He had called repeatedly to have strong troops sent to interfere with the preparations of the Habsburg army. The Three Leagues finally complied and assembled an army of about 6,300 men at Zuoz and marched to the Val Müstair. They knew that their time was running out, because they had news of Maximilian being on his way with reinforcements. But the "Letzi" seemed an insurmountable barrier. The Habsburg army numbered some 12,000 men, of which 2,000 manned the fortifications themselves, while another 1,200 covered the flanks. Castle Rotund at Taufers in front of the barrier was also manned with Habsburg troops, and 200 men guarded the bridge at Marengo behind the "Letzi". The rest of the Habsburg army camped at the villages in the Vinschgau.