The military-strategic importance of the road link with the ford, or later bridge, was great. On the night of 23 and 24 September 1635 and the following morning, a Swedish-French army under Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar’s leadership went slogging by across the river after their defeat at Nördlingen in the Thirty Years' War on their retreat by way of Birkenfeld to Wallerfangen, even as they were being pursued by the far superior, victorious Imperial army under Count Gallas.