nd fault
with Early, not merely for scattering his army--which, though
certainly a fault, was handsomely made good by the rapid concentration,
--but even for fighting his battle at Winchester at all. Weakened
by the loss of Kershaw, Early should, these critics think, have
fallen back to Fisher's Hill at the first sign of Sheridan's advance;
yet upon a broad view it is difficult to concede this. The odds
against Early were the same that the Confederates had necessarily
assumed from the beginning. They were desperate; they could not
possibly be otherwise than desperate; they called for desperate
campaigns, and these for desperate battles. Standing on the
defensive at Fisher's Hill, Early would not only have given up the
main object of his campaign and of his presence in the valley, but
would have exposed himself to the risk of being cut off by a turning
column gaining his rear by way of the Luray valley. Indeed, this
would have been more than a risk; sooner or later it would have
been a certainty.

(1) Also spelled "Opequan." Pronounced O-peck'-an.

(2) "Hear that! That's the voice of the American people!" Thomas
is said to have exclaimed on hearing the tremendous cheers of his
men for their decisive victory of Nashville.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
FISHER'S HILL.

The frowning heights of Fisher's Hill had long been the bugbear of
the valley. The position was, in truth, a purely defensive one,
its chief value being that there was no other. Except for defence
it was worthless, because it was as hard to get out of as to get
at; and even for defence it was subject to the drawback that it
could be easily and secretly turned upon either flank. In a word,
its strength resided mainly in the fact that between the peaks of
Massanutten and the North Mountain the jaws of the valley were
contracted to a width of not more than four miles. The right flank
of the shortened front rests securely upon the north fork of the
Shenandoah, where it winds about the base of Three Top Mountain
before bending widely toward the east to join the south fork and
form the Shenandoah River. Across the front, among rocks, between
steep and broken cliffs, winds the brawling brook called Tumbling
Run, and above it, from its southern edge, rises the rugged crag
called Fisher's Hill. Here, behind his old entrenchments, Early
gathered the remnants of his army for another stand, and began to
strengthen himself by fresh works. The danger of a turning