A suggestion: Get them to either Hold or Follow. And get surgery. I have 100% surgery (4 on me, 8 on Marnid and Borcha) which gives me a 95% chance that my guys will be knocked unconscious rather then getting kilt.
30 Peasents against a force of 43 or so Dark Riders and Knights- 12 Peasents dead, 3 of my Knights dead and all Darkies gone. Even a Dark Knight can get taken down when he is against 30 Pnoobs.