Johnston had originally expected to find a valley at Adairsville of suitable width to deploy his men and anchor his line with the flanks on hills, but the valley was too wide, so Johnston disengaged and withdrew.
Johnston havde oprindelig ventet at finde en dal ved Adairsville, som var tilstrækkelig bred til, at han kunne placere sine mænd og forankre sin linje med flankerne på bakker, men denne dal var for bred, så Johnston trak sig tilbage.