South of the Oostanaula, steep ridges and heavy woods give way to gently
rolling hills with only a light cover of vegetation. The area was almost
without defensible terrain and thus afforded a great advantage to
Sherman, whose larger forces would have more opportunities for maneuver
than they had found in the mountainous region to the north.
Once across the Oostanaula, Johnston sought to make a stand and draw the
Federals into a costly assault. He expected to find favorable terrain
near Calhoun, but in this he was disappointed and during the night of
May 16-17 he led the Confederates on southward toward Adairsville. The
Federals followed—Sherman dividing his forces into three columns and
advancing on a broad front. There were skirmishes all along the route
during the 16th and 17th, but the main bodies were not engaged.
At Adairsville Johnston again hoped to find a position in which he could
give battle, but there too the terrain was unsuitable for defense and
the Confederate commander was forced to continue his retreat. As he fell
back, however, Johnston devised a stratagem that he hoped would lead to
the destruction of a part of Sherman’s forces. There were two roads
leading south from Adairsville—one south to Kingston, the other
southeast to Cassville. It seemed likely that Sherman would divide his
armies so as to use both roads. This would give Johnston the opportunity
to attack one column before the other could come to its aid.
When the Southerners abandoned Adairsville during the night of May
17-18, Johnston sent Hardee’s Corps to Kingston while he fell back
toward Cassville with the rest of his army. He hoped that Sherman would
believe most of the Southerners to be in Kingston and concentrate the
bulk of his forces there. Hardee would then hold off the Northerners at
Kingston while Johnston, with Polk and Hood, destroyed the smaller
Federal column at Cassville.
Sherman reacted as Johnston hoped, ordering McPherson and the bulk of
Thomas’ army toward Kingston while sending only Schofield and one corps
of Thomas’ army along the road to Cassville. On the morning of May 19,
Johnston ordered Hood to march along a country road a mile or so east of
the Adairsville-Cassville Road and form his corps for battle facing
west. While Polk attacked the head of the Federal column, Hood was to
assail its left flank. As Hood was moving into position, he found
Northern soldiers to the east. This was a source of great danger, for
had Hood formed facing west, these Federals would have been in position
to attack the exposed flank and rear of his corps. After a brief
skirmish with the Northerners, Hood fell back to rejoin Polk. Johnston,
believing that the opportunity for a successful battle had passed,
ordered Hood and Polk to move to a new line east and south of Cassville,
where they were joined by Hardee who had been pushed out of Kingston.
Johnston formed his army on a ridge and hoped that Sherman would attack
him there on May 20. As usual, the Southern commander was confident of
repulsing the enemy.
[Illustration: TO THE ETOWAH]
That night the Confederate leaders held a council of war. Exactly what
happened at the council is a matter of dispute. According to Johnston,
Polk and Hood reported that their lines could not be held and urged that
the army retreat. Believing that the fears of the corps commanders would
be communicated to their men and thus weaken the army’s confidence,
Johnston yielded to these demands, even though he thought the position
to be defensible. According to Hood, whose recollection of the council
differs markedly from Johnston’s, he and Polk told Johnston that the
line could not be held against an attack but that it was a good position
from which to move against the enemy. Johnston, however, was unwilling
to risk an offensive battle and decided to fall back across the Etowah.
No definite resolution of this dispute is possible, but most of the
available evidence supports Hood’s version of the conference. Certainly
Johnston was not obligated to allow the advice of subordinates to
overrule his own judgment. The responsibility for abandoning the
Cassville position rests on the Southern commander.
During the night, the Confederates withdrew across the Etowah. As they
fell back, their feelings were mixed. They had lost a very strong
position at Dalton, and had fallen back from Resaca, Calhoun, and
Adairsville. Now they were retreating again under cover of darkness.
That morning as they prepared for battle, their spirits had been high.
Now their disappointment was bitter. Although morale would revive in the
next few days, many Southern soldiers would never again place as much
confidence in Johnston’s abilities as they once had.
By contrast, morale in the Federal ranks soared. In a short time of
campaigning, the Northerners had “driven” their enemy from one position
after another. Sherman was satisfied with the progress his armies had
made and, after learning that the Confederates were south of the Etowah,
he decided to give his men a short rest. On May 20, one of the Northern
generals summarized the situation in a letter to his wife:
Thus far our campaign has succeeded though it must be confessed the
rebels have retreated in very good order and their army is still
unbroken. Our hard work is still before us. We are still 53 miles from
Atlanta and have to pass over a rugged Country. We will have some
bloody work before we enter that place.
[Illustration: _After a council with Hood and Polk, Johnston
abandoned the Cassville position._]