Battle of the Pelennor Fields

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields was a battle for the city of Minas Tirith during the War of the Ring. It was the greatest battle of the War of the Ring, and indeed the largest of the entire Third Age. Major casualties resulted from this battle- including the deaths of King Théoden and the Witch-king of Angmar.

On the morning of March 10, 3019, The Dawnless Day began. Sauron sent forth a large mass of dark, foul clouds to cover the lands of Gondor and Rohan. Sauron's purpose was to spread fear and uncertainty among his enemies, as well as to aid his servants. The forces of Mordor arrived on two fronts: the army of the Lord of the Nazgûl that came forth from Minas Morgul, and the other from the river Anduin from Umbar; that being the ships of the Corsairs. On March 13, 3019, the Siege of Gondor began, and on the morning of March 15, the Rohan army arrived with 6,000 riders. While this was not enough for a decisive turn of the battle, it held the enemy off until the Umbar ships arrived, carrying, instead of corsairs, Aragorn and the Grey Company.

Background
The War of the Ring was declared on June 20, 3018 when Sauron sent forth the Nine from Minas Morgul in search of the One Ring- long believed to be in the possession of a "Baggins" in the Land of the Shire. The city of Osgiliath was attacked by the forces of Mordor in an attempt to hide the flight of the ring-wraiths. However, the sons of steward Denethor II drove the enemy to the east bank of the river and destroyed the great bridge of the city.

After nine months had passed after the skirmish in Osgiliath, Sauron's ally, Saruman the White, sent forth a large army to destroy the people of Rohan. They were, however, defeated by the forces of the Rohirrim in the Battle of Helm's Deep. After this decisive victory, Sauron knew his strike must come swiftly and be one of might. Aragorn revealed himself to Sauron through the Palantir of Orthanc, which spurred Dark Lord into action, making him send his armies before the full force was prepared. He decided to release his long-prepared army in hopes of annihilating his greatest enemy, Gondor.

Due to the threat of a huge fleet gathering in Umbar, the allied forces of Gondor sent far less people than expected in preparation of invasion from the sea.

The Dawnless Day
"Nay, this is no weather of the world. This is some device of his malice, some broil of fume from the Mountain of Fire that he sends to darken hearts and councel."

- Beregond

There was no dawn between March 9 and 10. This is the day which is called the "Dawnless Day". A large cloud from Mordor silently crept over the lands of Rohan and Gondor, covering the sunlight, preventing it from penetrating the clouds. Sauron's purpose was to breed fear amongst the Army of the West, and also to ease the passing of his minions. On that same day, an army from the Black Gate emerged and captured the island of Cair Andros. The purpose was two-fold: to prevent the Rohirrim from entering Anorien, and at the same time to guard the northern regions of Gondor. The Muster of Rohan, led by King Theoden, left the camp of Dunharrow; the beacons of Gondor being lit one day prior.

During the Dawnless Day, the ring-bearer Frodo Baggins, his servant Samwise, and their guide, Gollum, approached Minas Morgul. When they arrived, they saw a red flash emanating from beyond the eastern mountains- probably from Orodruin-, which was answered by lightning and blue flame issuing from Minas Morgul and the surrounding hills. The Witch-king of Angmar emerged from the city on a black horse, accompanied by a large army stated to be larger that any coming from the vale since the time of Isildur. This was the smaller of Sauron the Great's forces; the larger host issuing forth from the Black Gate.

Fall of Osgiliath
"They have paid dear for the crossing, but less dearly than we hoped."

- Faramir's messenger

On March 9, Faramir sent his forces to reinforce the garrison at Osgiliath, expecting a large blow from the enemy. After giving a report to Denethor, he left on March 11 to command the garrison. That night, they were attacked. On March 12, Faramir retreated to the Causeway Forts. Once there, he did his best to hold the rearguard lest the retreat turn into a rout. However, he was wounded on the approach back to Minas Tirith by a foul dart of the enemy.

Siege of Minas Tirith and the Fall of Rammas Echor
Upon arriving at the city, the enemy sprawled before the greatest of all walls. They quickly put up siege equipment and dug trenches. Wasting almost no time, the siege began, eventually breaching the wall of the city- the Rammas Echor. The wall, built in the days of the splendor of the men of the west, was nigh upon impregnable. The siege engines of the enemy, while not penetrating it, were able to launch incendiary missiles into the lower city, setting it ablaze. The great gates of Minas Tirith were not to be underestimated, and after prolonged failure, the enemy brought out the hammer of the underworld- Grond. A large force was sent to guard the northern roads against possible reinforcements from Rohan. It put trenches and stakes on the road, enough to halt any charge.

In his despair, Denethor refused to lead the people, resulting in Gandalf commanding the defenders. Thousands of orcs and maybe hundreds of Men of Gondor were killed during a prolonged shoot out. Mighty siege towers rolled onwards to the walls, but those were mainly a distraction and a test of Gondor's strength. The main assault was launched against the Gate - the only vulnerable point in the wall. A giant battering ram named Grond, in honor of Morgoth's hammer, was used. It was a hundred feet in length, drawn by great beasts and wielded by hordes of cave-trolls. The Gate was strong enough to withstand several hits from the ram, but with the Witch-king of Angmar adding his sorcery to the power of the hammering, it was eventually broken. The Nazgûl leader entered the city, with all fleeing before him, save Gandalf upon Shadowfax. At this exact moment, the horns of the Rohirrim sounded, forcing him to leave to confront this new foe.

Arrival of Rohan
"Ride now! Ride now! Ride for ruin and the World's Ending!!! Death!!!"

- Theoden's Speech

Unknown to both Gondor and Mordor, the Drúedain showed the army of the Mark an old, hidden road built by the Dunedain long ago, and forgotten by all save the Wild Men. This allowed the Rohirrim to circumvent the defenses of the enemy on the northern road, and attack the forces of Mordor from the rear. Due to the dismantling of the walls of Minas Tirith, they could not mount a strong defense quickly, and Theoden's forces quickly overran the northern half of Pelennor. However, after forcing the retreat of the Haradrim cavalry, they were halted by the appearance of the Witch King. He mortally wounded Theoden the King, before being slain himself by Eowyn and Meriadoc.

After that, the Rohirrim, under the command of Eomer, continued their assault, while the Footmen of Gondor launched their own counterattack. Even so, they were outmatched by the Mumakil, Haradrim, and Southrons, as the enemy recovered surprisingly quickly from the loss of their commander. As the tide of battle turned against Gondor, the Men of the West saw something even more terrifying- one which made them lose all hope. The ships of Umbar had arrived.

The final stage
Neither side knew that Aragorn and the Grey Company, with the help of the Army of the Dead, vanquished the fleet of the Corsairs, and, after loading them with as many allies of Minas-Tirith as possible, carried them to the battle. Upon arriving, the enemy found itself in a very disadvantageous position, with their enemies where (and when) they least expected. The extra reinforcements brought by Aragorn punched a wide salient within the most vulnerable area of the Mordor-host, severing the forces nearer to Minas Tirith and the ones close to the River Anduin. The Men of Gondor and the Rohirrim exploited this tactical advantage to the fullest, utterly routing the enemy with prolonged infantry charges and cavalry pursuit. The tactical and moral advantage granted by that was sufficient to turn the battle into a rout of the Mordor host. Most, if not all of the Mordor-host was slain and lay in colossal carrion piles while the few stragglers crossed the Anduin through Osgiliath or on barges. However, one crucial delaying action was critical to the survival of the Enemy and thus prolonged the War of the Ring. A 1000-strong force of Easterlings, with their backs to the River Anduin, fought to the last man while their Orc and Haradrim companions-at-arms retreated like sheep pursued by wolves. While they were utterly wiped out by the now numerically-superior Armies of the West, they inflicted considerable casualties among their foes and bought critically important time for their comrades. The battle was over by sunset, with most enemies dead and but a few fleeing.

Losses
The Dark Host was lost all but completely. Few ever made it to Mordor, and fewer still survived of the Haradrim forces. However, it was but a fraction of the forces of Sauron, although probably a significant portion of those who were armed. Most important to Sauron was the loss of his mightiest servant, the Witch King. Although the numbers lost were not incredibly significant to Sauron, as he could afford to lose many times that of his enemies, the loss of his chief servant was a devasting blow.

The losses of the West were significant. In addition to the lost commanders, it was said by Eomer later that not 4,000 Riders were combat worthy, and the losses in other forces was probably considerable as well. However, despite that, with the newcomers from Southern Gondor and more arriving by previous orders of Aragorn, even with all the losses of the battle and the 7,000 heading for Morannon, the city was estimated to be better defended than before the battle, discounting, perhaps, the loss of the Gate.

Trivia
The Led Zeppelin song, "The Battle of Evermore", may have been about this battle, as it makes references in the lyrics to the Ringwraiths, a walled city, and a battle on a vast plain.

External link

 * Battle of the Pelennor Fields at Tolkien Gateway