[Farael]

CaptainOfDespair you bring an interesting point to the argument, but I don't believe that Gondor would have given up Minas Ithil because it was far from the Gondorian mainland. We can all agree that Ilithien was part of "Gondor Proper"... Not to mention Osgiliath. Yet between Mordor and Minas Tirith there were no strong points, or fortresses, other than Minas Ithil. To hold Minas Ithil meant to have the upper hand in controling Ilithien and the roads to Osgiliath, to loose it was to give the upper hand to the forces of Mordor (as it wound up happening).

While it is a good point that Minas Ithil was amidst a desolate land in the far end of the land of Gondor, it was guarding a very rich land, and one of Gondor's main cities, so I don't think how any half-competent ruler would have given up Minas Ithil freely.

Furthermore, the assambling of even a small army of orcs (or evil men or any other living creature for that matter) was also complicated by the fact that, as mentioned many times before, armies need food. As far as I know, at that time Mordor was fairly empty, so I am guessing that the fields by the sea of Rhun were either inhabited or the few orcs or humans there were concerned with their own survival to send food to an army camped at the mountain passes.