[4] Sherman pursued Hood as far as Gaylesville, Alabama, but decided to return his army to Atlanta and instead conduct a March to the Sea through Georgia.

Concerned over the possibility of Federal gunboats destroying any pontoon bridge he might deploy, along with the absence of Forrest's horsemen to bring him intelligence, Hood changed his course to Decatur.

[8] The next morning, he sent Confederate skirmishers through a dense fog to a ravine within 800 yards of the main fortifications.

"With the soldiers hungry and supplies scarce", Hood knew he could not afford the casualties from a full-scale assault and decided to cross the Tennessee River elsewhere.

He marched further the west and crossed near Tuscumbia, Alabama, where Muscle Shoals prevented interference by the Federal gunboats.