Wot, you didn't destroy them first? A single steel-clad dorf could take on a dozen elves in a scrap, no sweat. Hell, a single steel-clad dorf can take on just about anything with a reasonable chance of success, so i guess that's kind of an unfair comparison. But then again, i once defeated an elven ambush with raw recruits armed only with fists and beards, and this was during my learning time. The elves suffered disproportionatly large losses, and my dorfs now had wooden weapons after brawling the shit out of the elves.