GeneralHooddidnotmakeaseriousattackonDecatur，buthungarounditfromOctober26thtothe30th，whenhedrewoffandmarchedforapointonthesouthsideoftheTennesseeRiver，oppositeFlorence，wherehewascompelledtoremainnearlyamonth，tocollectthenecessarysuppliesforhiscontemplatedinvasionofTennesseeandKentucky。
TheFourthCorps（Stanley）hadalreadyreachedChattanooga，andhadbeentransportedbyrailtoPulaski，Tennessee;andGeneralThomasorderedGeneralSchofield，withtheTwenty—thirdCorps，toColumbia，Tennessee，aplaceintermediatebetweenHood（thenontheTennesseeRiver，oppositeFlorence）andForrest，oppositeJohnsonville。
Onthe31stofOctoberGeneralCroxton，ofthecavalry，reportedthattheenemyhadcrossedtheTennesseeRiverfourmilesaboveFlorence，andthathehadendeavoredtostophim，butwithoutsuccess。Still，IwasconvincedthatHood’sarmywasinnoconditiontomarchforNashville，andthatagooddealoffurtherdelaymightreasonablybecountedon。IalsorestedwithmuchconfidenceonthefactthattheTennesseeRiverbelowMuscleShoalswasstronglypatrolledbygunboats，andthatthereachoftheriveraboveMuscleShoals，fromDecaturashighupasourrailroadatBridgeport，wasalsoguardedbygunboats，sothatHood，tocrossover，wouldbecompelledtoselectapointinaccessibletothesegunboats。Heactuallydidchoosesuchaplace，attheoldrailroad—piers，fourmilesaboveFlorence，Alabama，whichisbelowMuscleShoalsandaboveColbertShoals。
Onthe31stofOctoberForrestmadehisappearanceontheTennesseeRiveroppositeJohnsonville（whenceanewrailroadledtoNashville），andwithhiscavalryandfieldpiecesactuallycrippledandcapturedtwogunboatswithfiveofourtransports，afeatofarmswhich，Iconfess，excitedmyadmiration。
ThereisnodoubtthatthemonthofOctoberclosedtouslookingdecidedlysqually;but，somehow，Iwassustainedinthebeliefthatinaveryfewdaysthetidewouldturn。