A controversial question, I know, and I'm not asking gratuitously. I have no irons in this fire and haven't formed a conclusive opinion one way or another. I'm asking because I don't quite thoroughly understand the full nature of the One Ring and how it affects those who bear it.

I know we find out more about Isildur in The Silmarillion; however, I haven't read that yet. Regarding my question, I'm referring to the following two incidents.

First, the obvious. Isildur refused to destroy the One Ring following his defeat of Sauron in what I believe is called the War of the Last Alliance. He was in possession of the Ring for a very short period of time when Elrond took him to Mt. Doom, where he urged Isildur to destroy the Ring and Isildur refused.

Second, the other obvious. The Wikia refers to this as the Disaster at Gladden Fields and here Isildur is killed by Orcs that ambush him; his sons and the Dunedain traveling with them are also killed (except for three). The element of this that bothers me is the fact that Isildur ran away with the Ring. Yes, his son Elendur urged Isildur to flee, to save the Ring, but it occurs to me that most parents likely wouldn't abandon their children to death, no matter the motivation.

Was Isildur a coward? Or were his actions controlled (or at least influenced) by the Ring? Did the Ring control Isildur's choices, choices that could be interpreted as cowardly? Are these acts selfish and cowardly or are they understandable reactions?

What does canon have to say? By canon I mean the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Silmarillion, or J.R.R. Tolkien's letters and papers. Christopher Tolkien interviews are fine too.

_{I just finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and have begun reading The Two Towers.}