Second Siege of the Black Gate

Though the Wood Elves and Rohirrim successfully fought off Sauron's forces, the lives lost on their side makes the siege impossible to consider a Wood-Elf or Rohirrim victory. Sauron's return also brought back the morale of the Wicked Peoples, who began to form their armies once more.

Prelude
Sauron's previous retreat from the First Siege of the Black Gate was met with confusion from the rest of the world, as many saw his actions as cowardly or unfocused. Yet Sauron retreated to Udûn, where he raised a massive army of Black Uruks to siege the Black Gate. The defenders had little if any time to prepare before Sauron's forces arrived.

Battle
The battle was a massacre. Only six Wood-Elves and four Rohirrim survived the harrowing siege, and the Gate was only kept due to Sauron's false count of how many were defending the walls, as he had believed there were more than 10 defenders remaining. Reinwald received a grievous injury near his heart, taking an arrow for Legolas as the two fought in a watchtower.

Aftermath
Though seen as a massacre by victor and victim alike, the Mallorn Council applauded Reinwald and Legolas' bravery, seeing their defense to the last as honorable and valiant. Yet all they could do was delay the inevitable, as seen in Sauron's following assault on the Black Gate.