No, he didn't "charge unknowingly into battle". He let the lower powered pawns go first in order to see what he was up against. Once he did, then he charged into battle.
He arrived on the battlefield with no intel. Sent in his pawns, sacrificing them in order to learn.
Rather than, you know, gathering intel BEFORE arriving on the battle field, NOT having to sacrifice his pawns and having a larger force.
Dumb.
They didn't have much time, and didn't have much in the way of gathering intel since they lost Mystique.
You know one way they could've had a great advantage. Drop. The. Bridge.