Als was occupied by 9,000 Danish troops including the garrison of Dybbøl which had retreated to Als. The orders were given for the crossing of the Als Sound to begin in the night of 29 June 1864. At midnight, the troops were gathered for the assault, without packs and wearing the feldmutz instead of a helmet. The Commander-in-Chief had selected the narrow strait of East Schnabeck as the place to cross that enabled the Storeskov woods to be used to mask preparations from the Danes.