The Battle of Fisher’s Hill, featured in this issue, falls between two really big engagements, ones that made bigger headlines, and unfortunately the battle’s been relegated into the category of an “also ran.” Even the victor, Phil Sheridan, considered Fisher’s Hill merely an extension of the Third Battle of Winchester; a month later, Cedar Creek grabbed all the headlines. As such, though certainly not intentional, it robbed Sheridan’s old friend from West Point, George Crook, and his Army of West Virginia, of notoriety for their finest hour. How many commands in the Civil War could say they participated in a three mile charge, from one flank of the enemy to the other, sweeping the foe from their entrenchments as they went?

Jubal Early, the Confederate army commander at Fisher’s Hill, became so incensed with the performance of his troops that, as one eyewitness reported, he went into a rage and shouted for some Virginians to fire into retreating North Carolinians.

Scott Patchan’s article on Fisher’s Hill is probably the most accurate and detailed account of the battle ever done. He is fast becoming one of the premier historians on 1864 Shenandoah Valley battles, a passion that’s been with him since he was a boy. Scott’s book Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign was published last year by the University of Nebraska Press.

Fisher’s Hill has been the beneficiary of some important preservation efforts. Three sites on the Driving Tour will show you ground that has been preserved. The sites can be visited, though two of them have no marked trails or historical interpretation provided yet. This issue will make a nice companion to Scott’s last two features for us on the Summer 1864 battles in the Valley and the Battle of Cedar Creek.

editor