Saruman's army

Saruman's legions as viewed from above

"All Isengard must be emptied; and Saruman has armed the wild hillmen and herd-folk of Dunland beyond the rivers, and these also he loosed upon us."

—Ceorl, The Two Towers, "Helm's Deep"

Saruman's army was the 10,000-strong army of the Wizard Saruman, treacherous agent of the Dark Lord Sauron. Amassed at Isengard in the years leading to the of the War of the Ring, Saruman planned to use this great force to conquer Rohan for his "new master", but also to try seize the One Ring first and claim it for himself.

Description

I saw the enemy go: endless lines of marching Orcs; and troops of them mounted on great wolves. And there were battallions of Men, too. Many of them carried torches, and in the flare I could see their faces. Most of them were ordinary men, rather tall and dark-haired, and grim but not particularly evil-looking. But there were some others that were horrible: man-high, but with goblin-faces, sallow, leering, squint-eyed.
—Meriadoc Brandybuck, The Two Towers, "Flotsam and Jetsam"

The army mainly consisted of Orc-kind creatures, ranging from the common Orcs to Half-orcs and Uruk-hai. The Wizard Saruman was also allied with the wild men of Dunland, and had a number of Wargs used as mounts for the Orcs. The primary emblem displayed by the warriors of Isengard was the "White Hand of Isengard" - a white hand painted on their shields. The host was equipped with siege ladders, a battering ram, and the "fire of Orthanc", an explosive device of Saruman's making.

History

"His friends and servants [Saruman] drew then from all who hated Gondor and Rohan, whether Men or other creatures more evil. "

— The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The House of Eorl"

Betraying the White Council, Saruman claimed Isengard as his seat of power and turned his sights upon Rohan. Surrounding himself with the Rohirrim's enemies, he also started making his own Orcs around TA 2990 and eventually crossbred them with Men. By TA 3000, Saruman had become Sauron's vassal and was instructed to "deliver" the kingdom to his "dark master". Soon after, Saruman's Uruk-hai began making sorties with Orcs from the Misty Mountains and Mordor into eastern Rohan. The Wizard's army continued to grow, but it was "not in [Sauron's] service yet" and its goal was to claim the One Ring for Saruman instead. During his imprisonment in Orthanc, Gandalf witnessed Saruman gathering hordes of wolves and Orcs in Isengard.

During the War of the Ring, Saruman began his open war against Théoden on Sauron's behalf, and his war-bands made incursions into Rohan's lands. In TA 3019, an Orc-host from Isengard, reinforced by hordes from Dunland, fought with Théodred at the Fords of Isen. The First Battle at the Fords of Isen ended in the retreat of Saruman's army, which had fulfilled its orders: the slaying of Théodred. The Wizard then betrayed his new master and sent a company to hunt down the Fellowship and capture the Ring-bearer. Saruman's scouts ambushed the Fellowship at Amon Hen and escaped with two of the Hobbits, but were destroyed by the Riders of Rohan on the outskirts of Fangorn Forest.

His plans for supremacy ruined, Saruman tried to appease Sauron by unleashing his army - now numbering 10,000 warriors, including many Uruk-hai - upon the Rohirrim. Though facing some opposition in the Second Battle at the Fords of Isen, the legions of Isengard pressed on towards Helm's Deep, where Théoden sought to make a stand. Throughout the Battle of the Hornburg, Saruman's army dominated much of the skirmish and almost overran the Rohirrim defenders, having both breached the wall with explosive craft and climbed it with ladders. However, the unexpected arrival of Rohirrim reinforcements turned the tide in Théoden's favour and the Uruk-hai were vanquished. The last of Saruman's main army was then wiped out by the vengeful Huorns as they fled.

Uruk-hai bearing the White Hand of Isengard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 film

A small portion of Saruman's warriors stayed at Isengard during the attack on the Hornburg, and fought the Ents in the march to Isengard. By the next day, March 3 of TA 3019, this remnant was utterly destroyed by Treebeard, Pippin, Merry, and the Ents, save for an unknown number of Dunlendings who surrendered to the victors.

In other versions

And the vale that was once fair was filled with wolves and orcs, for Saruman was there mustering a great force for the service of his new master.
—Gandalf, The Treason of Isengard, "The Council of Elrond (1)"

In the earlier drafts of The Lord of the Rings, Saruman's army was merely another division of Sauron's forces. During his imprisonment in Orthanc, Gandalf witnessed Saruman gathering hordes of Orcs and wolves to do the bidding of his new master. In these versions of the story, the army of Isengard, seeing the "war-beacons afar off blazing in Mordor", would join the hosts of Rhûn, Harad, Dol Dúghul (Dol Guldur), Moria and Mordor in a massive assault against Ondor (Gondor); Saruman himself would have been present at the Siege of Minas Tirith, commanding Sauron's armies.

In adaptations

Build me an army worthy of Mordor.
—Sauron to Saruman, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Saruman's army is portrayed as the second army of Sauron. According to the tie-in Weapons and Warfare, Sauron wanted a another force at Isengard with which to destroy Rohan and "to form a second pincer with which to crush Gondor", so he instructed his servant Saruman to build him one. This portrayal echoes that of the earlier drafts of the book.

Saruman's Warg-riders attack the people of Rohan in The Two Towers film

In The Two Towers film (2002), the culvert of the Hornburg was breached by a group of exceptionally strong Uruks called "Berserkers", one of whom rushes forth with a flaming torch in hand, undeterred by an wave of arrows piercing him from above. He throws himself into the culvert, and thus ignites the bomb that explodes and breaks the Deeping Wall - called only the "fire of Orthanc" in the book, by Aragorn.

Many Uruk-hai in the host are shown using crossbows, which were not mentioned by Tolkien. The White Wizard also used Wargs that resemble hyenas more than wolves.

None of the Uruk soldiers at Helm's Deep speak with Aragorn, or to anyone, in the film, as some do in the book.

Weapons & equipment

• Swords/bows/arrows
• Axe/Shields
• Maces^{[citation needed]}
• Spears/pikes
• Crossbows/bolts
• Armors/helmets
• Siege-towers/catapults/siege ladders/battering rams
• Ballista/climbing hooks
• Fire of Orthanc/bombs

Gallery

Uruks near the front lines, at Helm's Deep, in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

A Berserker in the films, running to light Saruman's bomb