[narfforc]

I think that if everything had gone wrong, the retreat to Mithlond and it's rearguard defence was important. This would have required some measure of strength, until as many elves as possible could be saved. You would not normally send your best general of on a quest, one based mostly on hope, which on the face of it had little chance of succeeding, and you would want your best soldiers with you if it did fail.