Ramseur (left) faced a daunting task at Fisher’s Hill. His division occupied an extended front compared to the rest of the infantry. Brig. Gen. Philip Cook’s Georgians deployed upon a hill on Ramseur’s right. On Cook’s left, Brig. Gen. William R. Cox’s North Carolinians extended the line westward, occupying a low spot in the line. Brig. Gen. Cullen Battle’s Alabama brigade manned the line as it rose toward Ramseur’s Hill. Atop that eminence, Brig. Gen. Bryan Grimes’ North Carolinians anchored the left flank of the Confederate infantry. A small stream wrapped around Grimes’ left flank from the southwest, ran through a vale and flowed into Tumbling Run in his front. The left flank was further strengthened by an entrenched artillery position that commanded both frontal and flanking approaches to Ramseur’s position.9

Across the swale on Ramseur’s left, four small dismounted cavalry brigades of Lomax’s Division occupied the ground to Little North Mountain. As the line ranged westward along Lomax’s position, the declivity of the hills lessened, diminishing the position’s defensive value. By the time the line intersected the Back Road, the ground was virtually level compared to the rest of the terrain. There Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn’s brigade, led by Lt. Col. Robert McFarland of the 39th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, held the line west of the Back Road, covering the rising ground toward Little North Mountain. To McFarland’s left, Lomax posted the 8th Virginia Cavalry of Johnson’s Brigade to picket the extreme left flank of the Confederate line on the mountainside.

On McFarland’s right flank, Lomax deployed the brigades of Col. George H. Smith and Brig. Gen. Bradley Johnson in the works east of the Back Road. There the ground rose into a series of fairly formidable hills that extended nearly to the left flank of the infantry. To Johnson’s right, Col. William P. Thompson deployed the brigade of the convalescing Col. William L. Jackson in line of battle on the last hillock before a tributary of Tumbling Run separated the cavalry from the infantry. Horse artillery deployed in gun emplacements at three locations along Lomax’s battle line, including one on his left flank, atop a hill with a height of 900 feet. This last position commanded the relatively level ground leading up to the base of Little North Mountain.

Lomax claimed that he had only 1,000 men on the firing line. On September 10, Lomax had 3,215 enlisted men in his command. His division suffered casualties at Winchester and other minor engagements after that tally was taken. Brig. Gen. John McCausland’s brigade had deployed at Sandy Hook to protect Early’s right flank between the Shenandoah River and the base of Massanutten Mountain. Lomax’s remaining brigades probably numbered slightly less than 2,000 men at Fisher’s Hill including the horse holders. Lomax did not have the manpower required to adequately man the ground assigned to his command.10

Early’s position at Fisher’s Hill could have been stronger even with his lack of manpower. Old Jube failed to take into account the relative quality of his various commands when aligning his troops along the varying topographies of the line. The range of hills that composed the chain upon which Early’s line rested was broken up by ravines and elevations, difficult terrain to traverse should it be necessary to move troops from one section of the line to another. He posted Lomax’s Division, widely acknowledged as the army’s feeblest and most unreliable unit, in the weakest part of the Fisher’s Hill line. In the Confederate center, Early tightly packed Gordon’s and Pegram’s divisions with large allotments of artillery upon some of the most unassailable portions of Fisher’s Hill. In addition to the less imposing terrain of Lomax’s position, the range of the hills he occupied jutted out toward the left-front of Ramseur’s Division, further exposing it to attack. Early was keenly aware of the caliber of Lomax’s command and had complained of its inefficiencies on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, Old Jube assigned Lomax’s cavalrymen to defend the critical but inherently vulnerable left flank.

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