Battle of Osgiliath
Prelude: Attack on the Woodland Realm – Sauron's assault on Osgiliath – Skirmish at Weathertop – Battle at Amon Hen – War commences: – First Battle of the Fords of Isen – Ambush of the Rohirrim – Second Battle of the Fords of Isen – Battle of the Hornburg – Last march of the Ents – Battle of Ithilien – Battle of Osgiliath – Siege of Gondor – Battle of the Pelennor Fields – Battle of Dale – Battles of Lórien and invasion of eastern Rohan – Battle under the trees – Quarrel – Ambush in Ithilien – Battle of the Morannon – Destruction of Dol Guldur – Battle of Bywater
The Battle of Osgiliath in the War of the Ring occurred at the ruined city of Osgiliath on March 12 TA 3019, shortly before the Siege of Gondor.
History
Prelude
Osgiliath, defended by Boromir and Faramir, had been attacked some nine months earlier, which resulted in Sauron's forces taking control of the city's eastern half. Boromir left Gondor to seek counsel at Rivendell (and would not return).
In the ensuing time, Faramir led several assaults with his Rangers deep within Mordor occupied Ithilien, ambushing enemy armies moving to the Black Gate; Frodo and Sam stumbled into one such attack.
While there were men defending the west side of Osgiliath, the Steward Denethor ordered Faramir to lead a force to reinforce them. Faramir and Prince Imrahil regarded the order ill advised, pointing out that they could not afford the casualties; nevertheless, Faramir complied.
The battle
Mordor, however, was prepared. Months beforehand, the Orcs in East Osgiliath had been secretly constructing massive numbers of boats and rafts, and swelled with reinforcements from Harad they swarmed across the River Anduin to Gondor's positions on the other bank. After heavy fighting, the garrison under Faramir and his troops were forced to flee, first to the Rammas Echor, which held out for a day and then to Minas Tirith itself.
One third of Faramir's troops were lost, and he was badly wounded in the retreat, when a poisoned Southron arrow pierced him; more severe damage was done by the Black breath of the Nazgûl. When the retreat was sure to be a disaster, the Knights of Dol Amroth, led by Imrahil, initiated a sortie from Minas Tirith; the pursuing hordes were driven back and the surviving garrison reached the city safely.
Aftermath
In the meantime, the Orcs made makeshift repairs to several destroyed bridges. The main combined army of Mordor then arrived, formed from those that Frodo had seen leaving Minas Morgul; but this was "but one and not the greatest of the hosts that Mordor now sent forth": for on their way from Morgul Vale, the Morgul-host led by the Witch-king of Angmar had been joined by Haradrim from the south, and a far greater host that had massed at the Black Gate attacked Cair Andros. The two forces would then unite to attack Minas Tirith.
With Osgiliath now completely in the hands of Mordor and the Causeway Forts breached, the vast army of Sauron marched from the city and surrounded Minas Tirith, beginning the Siege of Gondor and leading directly into the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
In adaptations
The Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the battle is condensed and Gondor is shown to be weaker and with fewer numbers than in the book, ostensibly to add drama to the film.
The Orcs crossed the river at night in boats, and immediately joined battle with Faramir's men, fighting throughout the night. By morning, the Men of Gondor lost almost 350 of their men and then abandon the city and retreat with only a few hundred survivors. The Nazgûl riding on top of their Fellbeasts kill many more soldiers, but Gandalf rescues them. At Minas Tirith, Denethor orders Faramir to retake Osgiliath. Faramir leads the surviving Osgiliath defenders and tries to retake Osgiliath, but runs into a shower of arrows from the Orcs. The whole company is killed except Faramir, who is dragged back to Minas Tirith by his horse, unconscious with two arrows in him.
Translations
References
Location: Osgiliath