On 3-4 March 3019 TA, the Battle of the Hornburg was fought in Middle Earth between Rohan under Theoden and Isengard under Saruman during the War of the Ring.
Why did it happen?
Since 3014 TA, King Theoden of Rohan had been under the influence of Grima Wormtongue, a servant of the corrupted wizard Saruman, who had been undermining Rohan in preparation for Saruman’s eventual invasion. This persisted until 2 March 3019 TA when Gandalf the White healed Theoden from both Wormtongue and Saruman’s influence. Gandalf then urged Theoden to confront Isengard’s forces in battle, whereby the king rode west to assist Erkenbrand, who was fighting the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen. On 3 March, after Ceorl informed Theoden of the outcome of the battle, the king realised that his force was too small to confront Saruman directly. Theoden then decided to march his army to Helm’s Deep where a local captain named Gamling and the people of the Westfold were sheltering, while Gandalf rode to seek the aid of what remained of Erkenbrand’s army. The vast army of Isengard arrived at the Hornburg at night on 3 March.
Who was involved?
The army of Rohan at the Hornburg consisted of 2,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and 700 Hurons. The Hornburg was fully manned with infantry and archers arrayed on the walls and towers. While Theoden commanded the keep with 100 cavalry and 300 archers, Eomer and Aragorn led most of the forces on the Deeping Wall. The army of Isengard at the Hornburg consisted of 10,000 Uruk-Hai, Dunlendings and Orc Archers. The forces of Isengard came equipped with siege ladders, battering rams and an explosive device that was powerful enough to blow up walls made of solid stone.
What happened?
The Battle of the Hornburg began with the Dunlendings and Orc Archers assaulting the Hornburg Gate, only to be repulsed two times by Rohan’s archers. In response, the Dunlendings bring forth battering rams to assault the gate, only to be stopped by a sortie from Eomer and Aragorn. At the same time, the Uruk-Hai set up siege ladders to scale the Deeping Wall while a small force of Orcs infiltrated the culvert to engage a force of Rohan cavalry. After the Orcs were killed, the defenders gathered small boulders and stones to block the inner end of the culvert, only for an explosive device to blow up a good chunk of the Deeping Wall, allowing the Uruk-Hai to surge through. The men of Rohan were then forced to fall back to the citadel to make a final stand. When the Dunlending’s battering ram breached the Hornburg Gate, King Theoden led 900 of his cavalry and infantry in a charge out of the Gate against the Isengard army, forcing them back to Helm’s Dike. At dawn on 4 March, Gandalf and Erkenbrand arrived with 1,000 infantry, and the presence of Gandalf was enough to cause the Isengard host to panic. As the Uruk-Hai fled, they were all killed by a forest of Hurons that covered the end of the valley. Throughout the battle, the men of Rohan only lost 100 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of the Hornburg was a decisive victory for Rohan. In the aftermath of the battle, the Dunlendings were pardoned by King Theoden and allowed to return to their homes on the condition that they cease hostilities and retreat behind the Isen River. The battle was critical for the survival of Rohan and its participation in the War of the Ring because had it been lost, Isengard would have destroyed the nation of Rohan and thus denied its role in aiding Gondor at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. In addition, the decision of Merry and Pippin to persuade Treebeard and the Ents to march on Isengard on 3 March proved strategically decisive, as the destruction of Isengard broke Saruman’s military power, helping to ensure the eventual fall of Sauron.
Bibliography
Fisher, Mark. “Battle of the Hornburg.” Encyclopaedia of Arda. Last revised June 25, 2016. www.glyphweb.com/arda/b/battleofthehornburg.php
Fonstad, Karen Wynn. Atlas of Middle Earth. New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.
Larsen, Merlin Douglas. “The Battle of Helm’s Deep.” Larsen Family. Accessed June 8, 2021. www.larsen-family.us/~1066/helmsdeep.html
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2004.