Sauron's Army

Sauron's army was a vast army of the Darklord Sauron mustered over three millennia. The army's sole purpose was to defeat the mortal enemies of Sauron in the West, especially Men and their Elven allies, during the Second and Third Ages.

The soldiers of the army were of three basic ranks: war chief, captain, and grunt. A war chief was the highest-ranking Orc in the army. Captains, dynamic Orcs actually involved in the fight were the most common nemeses that the enemies encountered. A high-ranked captain could serve as a bodyguard to a war chief. The most common foe met by the opponents were the grunts. A capable grunt would be promoted higher in the Sauron army's hierarchy and could become a captain. The army's various Commanders were Sauron, The Witch-king, Grishnákh, The Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, Khamul, and Saruman. The weapons used by the Sauron army included Swords/Shields, Grond, Bows/Arrows, Axes, Maces, Siege weapons, and Spears/Pikes. [1] The garrisons of the Saurons wore many different symbols to represent themselves. Few notable Orcish armors were: leather aprons, belts, Minas Morgul's Orcs wore a wicked crescent moon, a tattered black banner with red tunes wore by the others in Gorgoroth, a thick black iron by the Orcs of Barad-dûr, the red-eye braced by the Uruks and Orcs of Barad-dûr and Cirith Ungol, chain-mail, a black serpent on a scarlet field bore by the Haredim, and round or boxy helmets worn by the Orcs of Cirith Ungol. The Morgul Orcs wore smaller, better-made armors and many beaked helms. Though the army consisted mostly of Orcs, there were also Men of Harad, Rhun’s Easterlings, Far Harad’s Trolls and Half-trolls, Wargs, Black Uruks, Mumakil, Variags of Khand, and Fell Beasts attached to Nazgûl. All the soldiers of the army had equal naval protection from the Corsairs of Umbar. [2]

The first war the Sauron army was involved in was the Battle of Dagorlad against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which led to the Siege of Barad-dûr. The soldiers fought for their master diligently throughout the War of the Ring, which extended into the next age. The Battle of Osgiliath, the Black Gate's Battle, and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields were a few famous battles the Sauron's army was involved in during the later War of the Ring.

1. ^Sauron's weapon of choice: Tolkien fans - Reddit.
2. ^How large was Sauron's army?