From the Enemy's Eyes-Rohirrim Charge on Helm's Deep/Pellenor

[Bywaters]

How would you, as the commander of the Uruk-Hai/Mordor Orcs, have chosen to combat the fearsome onset of the horsed Rohirrim at the battles of Helm's Deep and the Pellenor Fields?

I've been thinking a lot about this one this afternoon. I've read a few books in the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Sharpe being a rifleman during the Napoleonic wars (played by Sean Bean in the TV adaptation). Whenever Sharpe and his riflemen and Red jackets came across enemy cavalry they would form what is called a hollow square. Which would be three men deep, with the first rank presenting bayonnets allowing the two ranks behind them to fire off volleys at the call of the commanding officer. According to the books, the hollow square was nigh on impossible for a cavalry to break.

However, our poor Uruk-Hai and Orcs were faced with a massive and very sudden challenge. It is unlikely that they would have been able to form squares in such a quick time and they didn't seem to have the command stucture there to have put out the orders. Plus, their shear number would have made this hard to organise and achieve.

Also it seems that the Rohirrim could ride through anything! Esp at Helms Deep. I personally find it hard to believe that horses would run straight into so many spear or pikes like they do and come off on top. Artistic licence I guess!