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A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2 - Page 3

© Michael Martinez

What we cannot infer is whether Anarion, with the host of Gondor, was present at the Battle of Dagorlad. Had Sauron divided his forces during the preceding years to keep Anarion occupied? The only possible allies Anarion could have called upon would have been the Elves of Edhellond, said to be mostly of Nandorin or Sindarin origin⁴⁶. They would not have constituted a large force at all and may have been only a contingent of Anarion's host.

Sauron's forces would have been drawn from the Orcs and Trolls, probably dwelling mostly in Mordor at that time; the Easterlings, perhaps quite primitive; the Haradrim, ruled by Black Numenoreans and including large numbers of such; and whatever Men may have lived in Mordor itself (if any). A few Dwarves are said to have fought for him as well, though nothing is mentioned of their home or kindred⁴⁷.

If Anarion was prevented from immediately joining Gil-galad by an army in the south, Sauron may have had only a few Haradrim at the Battle of Dagorlad. Thus, he may only have had two armies: the Easterlings and his own forces from Mordor and Harad. Sauron's left flank may have been the strongest part of his army, since he was able to drive in on Amdir's Silvan Elves, pushing them into the marshes⁴⁸. It may be that the Easterlings did not stand on Sauron's right, but perhaps came against the eastern flank of the Alliance host (where may have stood the hosts of Arnor and Khazad-dum). This strategy would at least have afforded the left flank an opportunity to crush the Silvan Elves while the main host held Gil-galad's attention in the center.

Gil-galad may have played a cautious strategy, holding back from assaulting Sauron's line. Perhaps Sauron either drew Amdir out with a sortie or perhaps even launched the attack himself. The advantage in launching the attack would lie in Sauron's chance to split the Elven host and destroy the Silvan Elves. Since Amdir and more than half his army were killed, Sauron's forces in this area were quite effective. But since Sauron ultimately gave up the field⁴⁹, his right flank must have collapsed under the assault of the other Alliance armies. It may be that the entire force which engaged Amdir in the marshes was abandoned by Sauron in the retreat.

Although we don't know whether parts of Sauron's army survived the Battle of Dagorlad, we can be certain that his forces were greatly diminished. Yet he apparently was able to make one more stand outside the Barad-dur, for Oropher led a premature assault on Mordor⁵⁰. The Silvan Elves may have been enraged by the slaughter that occurred in the marshes, and perhaps Oropher thought Sauron's forces were weaker than they were.

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