Adairsville GA009

supportedunresolved Cox says Johnston's engineers had reported suitable ground north of Adairsville, that the maps were almost worthless and the inhabitants gave false reports, and that Sherman narrowly escaped artillery fire while reconnoitring. NPS says Johnston had expected a valley of suitable width.

Attributed knowledge from an interested history and a summary; no message log inspected. Cox's passage on the maps and hostile inhabitants describes the May 18 pursuit toward Cassville and Kingston, after the frozen date (context).

supportedunresolved Cox says the Army of the Cumberland spent all of the 16th getting its artillery train over the Resaca bridges, that Hooker's and Schofield's columns had no pontoon train, and that Schofield ferried his artillery and wagons over in a small flat-boat.

Movement difficulties from an interested history; no transport return inspected.

supportedunresolved Johnston says he determined to fall back slowly until circumstances favoured battle, keeping close enough to stop Sherman sending reinforcements to Grant. Cox says Sherman's plan was for the Army of the Cumberland to hold Johnston while a wing attacked his flank or rear, and that at nightfall Sherman hoped for a pitched battle next day. NPS says Sherman concentrated to attack the next day.

Stated aims from interested accounts and a summary; not a causal estimate.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen result is a Confederate delaying action (credited with allowing the Cassville plan); the live page reads Confederate Victory. Cox says Johnston ordered a further retreat to Cassville and that the lines were vacant at daybreak on the 18th. NPS says the 44th Illinois and 24th Wisconsin attacked Cheatham's division at the Saxon (Octagon) house with heavy losses.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. The frozen gloss about Cassville is a later-campaign judgment, not part of the tactical result.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads Total unknown (US 200; CS unknown); the live field reads 200 (US 200; CS 0). Neither Cox nor Johnston gives an Adairsville figure in the inspected passages.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. The live CS zero is not measured absence, and the Union 200 has no inspected basis.

supportedunresolved Johnston says Hardee checked the enemy after severe skirmishing. NPS says Thomas halted three Union divisions because of darkness. The frozen commanders are General Joseph E. Johnston and Major General William T. Sherman; the live page gives General William Sherman and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Johnston.

Attributed actions from an interested report and a summary; Hardee and Thomas are not listed commanders; the frozen commanders do not receive automatic sole credit, and the live ranks are not adopted.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

disputedunresolved The frozen force fields name the two armies without counts; the live field reads zero. Cox's narrative says French's infantry and Jackson's cavalry divisions joined Polk's corps at Adairsville, but his Appendix A lists French's division as joining at Cassville on May 18, and Johnston says French's division joined Polk's corps on the 18th. Cox also says that from May 15 for a month the two armies were more nearly equal than at any other time in the campaign; his Appendix A gives Jackson's line-of-battle strength from Lee's May 10 return as 405 officers and 4,072 men. Cox says Cheatham's division and Wheeler's cavalry formed the rear guard. Johnston cites the great numerical superiority of the Federal army.

Army-level and divisional figures on different dates and bases, plus conflicting qualitative judgments; none measures troops engaged on May 17 and none is adopted. The live zero is not measured absence. Where and when French's division joined is disputed (Adairsville in Cox's narrative; Cassville on May 18 in his Appendix A and in Johnston). Its presence on May 17 is not assumed.

supportedunresolved Cox says the country between the Oostanaula and Etowah was the most open in northern Georgia, that Johnston sought a valley narrow enough to rest both wings on commanding ground, and that at Adairsville the valley was again found too wide; the rear guard fought from barricades of rails and logs. NPS says the valley was too wide, so Johnston disengaged.

Ground described by an interested history and a summary; no map verification. The valley's width is an inherited feature, but Johnston's choice of ground is his own; no inherited tag is assigned.