The War of the Ring in the Third Age Middle-earth armies and hosts

the rohirrim @ battle of pelennor fields led king théoden

in war of ring, siege of gondor , battle of pelennor fields examples of mix of precise military detail , panoramic narrative. catalogue of companies outlying provinces come gondor s aid numbered @ less 3000, company sizes ranging stated 100 700 men in precise detail. numbers of original garrison of minas tirith , forward garrison of osgiliath , faramir s company of ithilien not specified. however, described panoramically that, following defeat @ osgiliath, faramir outnumbered ten times , loses 1 third of men. muster of rohan adds 6,000 horsemen total of defence of minas tirith.

the forces of mordor contained orcs, trolls, ringwraiths including other various races of middle-earth.

the sent allies areas threatened corsairs of umbar, , therefore less numerous expected. lossarnach, example, sent 1 tenth, , less 3 thousands arrived in all. assuming similar reduction in other forces spared allies, mean around 20-30 thousands remained, along may not have been expected spared anyway. large number of people gathered aragorn , came pelennor on umbar ships, turning tide of battle arriving (and when) allies of minas tirith least expected. slaves , captives released well, unclear whether in enough condition fight (the rowers were, since pirates have needed them in working condition next few days), or whether arms found them in time departure. more still came later on own ships, , 4,000 sent land. said comers (and remaining rohirrim) sufficient more replace losses of battle of pelennor fields, 7,000 going morannon.

there no specific totals given forces of mordor, there comparisons stated numbers imply totals within panoramic narrative. when army of west comes morannon less 6,000 strong , outnumbered ten times , more ten times great host out of morannon, orcs hills flanking morannon, , army of easterlings, or 60,000 75,000. force later called hosts , indicating @ least 2 hosts, each 30,000–40,000 strong.

the morgul-host, led witch-king, described greatest army issue vale since isildur, no host fell , strong in arms...yet 1 , not greatest of hosts mordor sent forth... , has great cavalry of horsemen in advance of it. @ pelennor fields, haradrim, consisting of footmen, horsemen , mûmakil, said thrice outnumber 6,000 riders of rohan, possibility army consists of more 18,000. these regiments of haradrim said have joined morgul-host @ osgiliath. @ same time, infantry city sally against legions of morgul still gathered there in strength , or @ least 2 legions , there arrives morgul-host reserves composed of forces rhûn, khand, southrons, , far harad.

legions of haradrim south in peter jackson s adaptation of lord of rings: 2 towers.

additionally, north of city near cair andros, host of orcs , men out of east advancing morannon cuts road north rohan. host of mordor blocking road minas tirith many, more horse-men (of rohan) , according ghân-buri-ghân. further north, forces dol guldur attack thranduil , thrice assault lórien, , eastern rohan attacked north force elsewhere described orc-host, host of easterlings attacks dale in far north.

at least 5 distinct hosts mordor can identified: 2 hosts of great host @ morannon; morgul-host (which later in battle called hosts , therefore contains @ least 2 hosts); host near cair andros. according gandalf, sauron used more half strength assault on gondor. leaves less 4 forces elsewhere. 2 of these distinctly identified hosts: host of easterling allies @ dale; orc-host invading east rohan north while host, @ least, implied attacks, 3 on lórien , 1 on thranduil, out of dol guldur. taking median total strength host of 40,000, general minimum estimate 8 9 hosts (16 18 armies) of sauron in war of ring therefore 320,000–360,000. arms, includes fleet , crews out of umbar, add total.

mûmakil in peter jackson s lord of rings: return of king.

saruman s hosts during war of ring can shown fall within parameters of above charts though unusual in tolkien uses more modern terms of battalion , regiment smaller formations.

in 2 towers merry states ... there must have been ten thousand @ least. . number later qualified gandalf: have ten thousand orcs manage. , @ helm s deep, not including other members of saruman s hosts: troops on great wolves , battalions of men , half-orcs . chart above shows host can composed of 2 armies or, army , auxiliaries. chart shows army may ten thousand strong.

the above first hand eyewitness accounts characters not sources of information on hosts of saruman. there historical essay style analysis of 2 battles of fords of isen in unfinished tales in compositions , organizations of saruman s forces further explained. while grimbold of rohan s command struggles 1 army, (saruman s commander) in doubt. awaited, maybe, signal other army had been sent down east side of isen. author s note . grimbold did not know large army had hours passed southward helm s deep. army east of isen stated more half of saruman s force... . east army has auxiliaries of wolf riders, large body scatters elfhelm s force on east bank of isen.

an additional source book war of ring in saruman s army west of isen joined auxiliary force of dunlending men came land away west .

all these sources support christopher tolkien s descriptions of saruman s overall strength great host , east army great army , can account j.r.r. tolkien s description of saruman s forces @ battle of hornburg: hosts of isengard roared... defined on charts: host army auxiliaries , great host 2 such hosts, therefore: 1 host of saruman s army west of isen allied dunland men west , host of more half force composed of saruman s great army east of isen wolf riders.

the forces saruman has @ disposal unique in not outnumber forces opposed them, unlike usual war situations in middle-earth in forces of darkness vastly outnumber forces of light. saruman s east army, more half strength, estimated @ ten thousand. west army , auxiliaries had perhaps twenty thousand or @ isengard , later joined @ fords of isen additional thousands of men of dunland west. twenty thousand opposed overall strength of rohan not outnumber much, if @ all. rohan s forces given twenty thousand: ten thousand horsemen spears, Éoherë, or horse army, , ten thousand foot , mounted infantry. saruman s main advantages has seized initiative concentrated force in attacks against piecemeal fractions. first, @ fords of isen, thirty-five hundred rohirrim defeated , helm s deep stormed garrison 2 thousand strong , includes théoden, king of rohan, while rest of rohan s strength dispersed. after losses, théoden says have sent ten thousand spears aid minas tirith, cannot spare more 6,000 defence of own strongholds.

as clear example of how context should considered, in tale of years, force aragorn leads gates of mordor called host of west , not have strength estimate found above in charts. but, in context, word host used general description of disparate group of warriors different armies, whom specific numbers have preceded use of word elsewhere in book. host of west, title, indicates encompassing phrase. in earlier chapters in return of king, tolkien consistently calls army initially, having character of imrahil ironically that, ... greatest jest in history of gondor: should ride 7 thousands, scarce many vanguard of army in days of power... .

the 7 thousands of host of west 1 thousand men of rohan under Éomer, 5 hundred on horse, 5 hundred on foot , 5 hundred knights of dol amroth dúnedain; 2 thousand foot under aragorn lebennin , southern fiefs; , thirty-five hundred foot under imrahil composed of great companies of minas tirith. great companies of minas tirith include: @ least 3 companies of tower of guard; 1 or more companies of men of city; 2 companies, or more, of archers ithilien, 1 henneth annûn commanded mablung.