As Johnston pulled back from Resaca, Sherman followed him closely, splitting his massive forces into three wings, with Thomas, and the main body of troops, moving directly after Johnston toward Calhoun, McPherson to the west, and Hooker's Corps to the east. Pausing briefly at Adairsville, Johnston considered making a stand there, but the terrain was not favorable for a defense, so, he withdrew further south, while Cheatham's Division stayed behind to fight a delaying action in the entrenchments at Adairsville. Johnston devised a plan to mass his army at Cassville and strike Sherman's left wing, under Schofield and Hooker, hopefully destroying it in detail before the remainder of the army could move to its aid. However, as Schofield entered the trap, Hood, who had been ordered to make the attack, mistook Federal cavalry for a large, flanking body of infantry, and fell back into the defensive lines at Cassville. Sherman by this time sensed Schofield's danger, and he quickly brought up Thomas and McPherson so that the entire army was in Johnston's front at Cassville late in the day on May 19th. While Johnston had found his position advantageous for an attack, it was less so for defense, so he fell back to a stronger line on a ridge south of town in the midst of a horrific artillery duel. The occupants of Cassville found themselves in a no-mans-land between the two hostile armies. "Many flee, leaving all, some take away a few effects, some remain between hostile fire." Johnston was very satisfied with his new position, calling it "the best I saw occupied during the war," his men were more than ready for a fight, and both both armies prepared for a major battle in the morning. However, during an evening consultation with his subordinates, Johnston received strong advice from them not to remain at Cassville. While Hardee agreed with Johnston that prospects for Confederate success were great, both Polk and Hood urged Johnston to abandon the position as untenable. Faced with two of his three commanders lacking the confidence to remain, in the middle of the night Johnston reluctantly withdrew his army south of the Etowah River, to the bewilderment of Sherman and the profound disappointment of the Confederate rank and file. The missed opportunities at Cassville would be argued for decades to come.