[JeffF.]

In a military sense, I've always wondered why Aragorn did not do more with the Dead Men than just eliminate the two forces of Corsairs that landed at Linhir and Pelargir & capture their fleets. Legolas at the Last Debate hints at a possible reason, he states that Angbor the Fearless and his men did not come forward until the fear of the Dead was removed (by the departure of the Dead). Perhaps Aragorn could not gather the forces of the Gondor fiefs until the Dead were released but this begs the question of whether or not the attack of the Dead at the Battle of Pelennor Fields would have been more effective than that of the forces of the South, in my opinion the Dead would have been (as happened in the movie version).

In the Passing of the Grey Company Aragorn's demand of the Dead is unclear, he states that he is going to Pelargir and that they will fight for him until "all this land" is clear of Sauron's Servants. He could have meant all the land between Dunharrow and Pelargir or he could have meant the present kingdom of Gondor or he could have meant the kingdom of Gondor as it existed in Isildur's time. I think he also could have demanded they fight until Sauron was overthrown as was the intent when Isildur initially called them out. Certainly the use of the Dead would have saved many lives at Pelennor and at the Black Gate.

I also wonder if the Nazgul with the main army were also a factor in releasing the Dead after Pelargir. It seems to me that the Nazgul would have had some power to counter or even eliminate the Dead Men. Both were 'wraiths' and both used fear as their main weapon. No doubt the Nazgul were each individually far more powerful than any individual Dead Men but the Dead far outnumbered the Nazgul. I presume the Nazgul would have used some sorcery against the Dead instead of engaging wraith to wraith, perhaps there was a danger of the Lord of the Nazgul turning these wraiths against Aragorn's men (in a similar way that he controlled the Barrow-wights). Had Aragorn been successful at the Black Gate and attacked Barad-dur certainly the Dead would be the only weapon that would give Aragorn even the possibility or a successful assault on that dread fortress but on the other hand no doubt Sauron himself would have the sorcery power to eliminate them but it seems to me that this would absolutely turn his attention from attempt to spot Frodo and Sam.