Minor Battles in The Lord of The Rings - Attack On Amon Hen

Attack On Amon Hen

Combatants: The Fellowship vs. Isengard, Mordor

The Two Towers starts with fighting upon Amon Hen, where the Fellowship of the Ring is attacked by Uruk-hai and other Orcs. It directly continues from the last chapter of the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring. The fighting is not directly shown, being narrated by various characters instead in the chapters "The Departure of Boromir" and "The Uruk-hai".

The Uruk-hai and some of the other Orcs were either in the service of Sauron or Saruman, while other Orcs had been pursuing the Fellowship since their sojourn through the Mines of Moria, to avenge their slain fellows. They had already been stalking the company for some time before the attack, and had previously shot arrows at them as they passed down the River Anduin.

Previously (in The Fellowship of the Ring), the Hobbit Frodo Baggins had resolved to continue the quest of destroying the One Ring of Sauron alone, due to its influence having grown on Boromir from the realm of Gondor, who wanted to claim it for his country and for himself. Frodo had put the Ring on (functionally making him invisible) to get away from Boromir and had gone missing. The rest of the company had grown anxious and had scattered, looking and calling for him. Aragorn, who led the company after Gandalf's fall in Moria, had ordered Boromir to watch over Merry and Pippin, two younger hobbits. However, Frodo's faithful servant Samwise Gamgee espied his escape, and insisted on coming with him to Mordor, land of Sauron.

Misfortune befell Merry and Pippin, for they blundered upon the Orcs. Sauron and Saruman both desired to gain (or in the former case, regain) the One Ring, and had instructed the Orcs to take the hobbits alive without taking spoils, but to kill the rest. Thus the Orcs surrounded the two and only tried to grab them, even after Merry had cut off some of their hands and arms. Then Boromir came and scattered the Orcs, and the three ran away. Saruman's Uruk-hai, led by Uglúk, then attacked and shot Boromir with many arrows. Boromir blew his horn, calling for aid, but it came too late, for the hobbits were captured. The Orcs cut his horn in half and left him lying against a great tree, mortally wounded.

Meanwhile, the elf Legolas and the dwarf Gimli were in the forest, hunting Orcs by themselves. Aragorn had sat on the Seat of Seeing, from which Amon Hen got its name, looking for Frodo, but had not seen him. However, he heard Boromir's horn-calls, and rushed through the trees. He came too late, for the Orcs were gone, and the hobbits with them, and Boromir lay dying, surrounded by at least 20 Orcs that had died by his hand. Before he expired, Boromir informed Aragorn of the situation, and charged him to save Minas Tirith from falling, as he had failed it.

Legolas and Gimli then turned up. The three remaining members inspected the Orc corpses, laid Boromir to rest in a funeral boat, and paid their last respects to him through a mourning song. They sent the boat down the Falls of Rauros, but it was discovered intact by Faramir, brother to the deceased, three days later.