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A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2 - Page 2

© Michael Martinez

Gil-galad and Cirdan marched east from Lindon in 3431³⁸. Elendil had already mustered his army at Amon Sul and he waited there for the Elvish host³⁹. But they stopped in Imladris for three years, apparently to train and equip their armies, and perhaps also to persuade Oropher, Amdir, and Durin to join the Alliance, if they had not yet done so⁴⁰. In that time, Sauron must have established an army in the lands between Greenwood and Mordor⁴¹. Such a development certainly would have been persuasive with Oropher. It may be that during this time Elendil sent an army to Gondor to reinforce Anarion⁴².

There were two probable lines of march for the Alliance armies when they finally began to move in 3434. It may be that Oropher and Amdir advanced down the eastern shore of Anduin, while Gil-galad, Elendil, and Durin passed west of Lorinand toward Parth Celebrant. Or perhaps Gil-galad and Elendil crossed the river by the Men-I-Naugrim, using the ford where there had once been an ancient bridge. Oropher could have preceded or followed them on their road south, and Amdir and Durin would have crossed Anduin via boats (much as Celeborn several thousand years later when he assaulted Dol Guldur).

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Sauron probably met the Alliance forces somewhere near the Undeeps, but seeing that he was outnumbered he fell back, destroying the ancient Entish domain north of the Emyn Muil (later known as "The Brown Lands") in an attempt to slow the advance of the Alliance⁴³. The retreat to Mordor must have been rapid, yet the Alliance was able to overtake Sauron's army on the Dagorlad. It may be that a cavalry force from Lindon⁴⁴ forced Sauron's army to halt and dig in north of Udun, and that the two forces arrayed themselves for battle over the course of one or more following days.

Although we have no record of the Battle of Dagorlad itself, we can infer some probable alignments. Gil-galad, being the leader of the Alliance (or, more likely, the most senior of the four "equals"), probably commanded the center. Since Elrond was Gil-galad's herald in this campaign, it may be that Gil-galad's flanks were commanded by Celeborn and Cirdan (or Glorfindel or Gildor Inglorion may have commanded a "Noldorin" flank).

We know that in the course of the battle Amdir's army was cut off from the main host and cut to pieces in the marshes⁴. Therefore we may suppose that Oropher took the right side of the field with Amdir holding the outer flank. In this way the "independent-minded" Silvan Elves would be in a position to support Gil-galad without being hemmed in by his own forces. Elendil and Durin may therefore have stood upon the left (east) side of the field.

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