Alma 57

Alma 57:1

1 And now it came to pass that I received an epistle from Ammoron, the king, stating that if I would deliver up those prisoners of war whom we had taken that he would deliver up the city of Antiparah unto us.

Alma 57:2

2 But I sent an epistle unto the king, that we were sure our forces were sufficient to take the city of Antiparah by our force; and by delivering up the prisoners for that city we should suppose ourselves unwise, and that we would only deliver up our prisoners on exchange.

Ammoron appears to consider himself is a very strong position. He is suggesting that he exchange his captured prisoners not for Nephite prisoners, but for a city. In some ways, this would seem to be a greater prize than an exchange for people, but the events that Helaman just described had destroyed a large part of the garrison defending Antiparah. Ammoron certainly knew that this once strongly held city was now much weaker, and likely to fall. He was willing to sacrifice it to have the return of fighting men. Even with Antiparah taken, he still held Cumeni, Zeezrom, and Manti. It would appear that he was content to focus his thrust into the Sidon valley through the Manti entrance. This gave him both Cumeni and Zeezrom as buffer cities on the rear of his attacking force. Ammoron was really giving up nothing, but hoping to gain military strength for his push into the Sidon valley without sacrificing anything that was of military importance.

Helaman does not take the bait. Helaman apparently knows that they have severely weakened Antiparah, and he supposes that the Nephites may retake it without great effort. He sees the exchange as valueless for the Nephites, though he may not have understood the nature of the coming Lamanite offensive plan.

Textual: This is a continuation of the letter of Helaman to Moroni. There was not chapter break in Mormon’s text, and the break here is entirely artificial. The letter is being written in the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges. At this point in Helaman’s recitation of past events, he is approaching the end of the twenty eighth year.

Alma 57:3

3 And Ammoron refused mine epistle, for he would not exchange prisoners; therefore we began to make preparations to go against the city of Antiparah.

Alma 57:4

4 But the people of Antiparah did leave the city, and fled to their other cities, which they had possession of, to fortify them; and thus the city of Antiparah fell into our hands.

Ammoron still had the advantage of the larger land from which to draw his army. Unlike the Nephites who were battling on two fronts and had a relative small population that had to have its defensive army split into two major defensive sites, the Lamanites had a larger homeland at its back. It is true that their forces were also divided, but with the larger land to draw from, this was much less a disadvantage for them. It appears that Ammoron did not need to the men enough to give up anything significant for them. It was more economical for him to lose men than it was to return fighters to the Nephites. This suggests that he was receiving reinforcements from the Lamanite homeland along with the supplies that undoubtedly were being delivered. The lack of value of Antiparah is clearly demonstrated in that the Lamanites holding that city simply flee and hand the city to the Nephites without a fight. Ammoron had already decided that it was expendable, and he did not waste any of his troop strength defending a city he did not need to hold.

Alma 57:5

5 And thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the judges.

Alma 57:6

6 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year, we received a supply of provisions, and also an addition to our army, from the land of Zarahemla, and from the land round about, to the number of six thousand men, besides sixty of the sons of the Ammonites who had come to join their brethren, my little band of two thousand. And now behold, we were strong, yea, and we had also plenty of provisions brought unto us.

This is a great change from two years earlier when Helaman and his small band of two thousand arrived in Judea. When they arrived, they found the army of Antipus discouraged and on the verge of desperation (see Alma 56:16). Now they have defeated one of the strongest of the Lamanite armies, have retaken Antiparah without bloodshed, and have received six thousand troops from Zarahemla along with provisions. They begin the twenty ninth year with greater strength, greater confidence, and greater optimism.

Alma 57:7

7 And it came to pass that it was our desire to wage a battle with the army which was placed to protect the city Cumeni.

Alma 57:8

8 And now behold, I will show unto you that we soon accomplished our desire; yea, with our strong force, or with a part of our strong force, we did surround, by night, the city Cumeni, a little before they were to receive a supply of provisions.

Cumeni is the next logical military target. It is the next city in the line held by the Lamanites. The plan for the attack on Cumeni is for a complete siege. This means that the city had to be cut off from any supplies. The Nephite spies had been able to determine that a supply line was approaching Cumeni, and they surprise the inhabitants by cutting off that city with a night maneuver.

While this night move is also very difficult, it is made easier in that they force does not have to remain in battle formations. They are able to take their place and wait. They are able to make this move because they have received so many reinforcements from Zarahemla. It is doubtful that prior to the reinforcements that Helaman had sufficient men to surround Cumeni.

The choice of timing shows that Helaman understood the problems of holding a city. While defensible, the cities nevertheless required food to function, and as a front-line city after the fall of Antiparah, they could not safely till the fields around Cumeni. The city had to be supplied from the other Lamanite-held cities. The arrival of a new supply train indicated to Helaman that it had been some time since the last, and that food supplies were lower than they had been. By cutting off this supply line just as it was to arrive, they cut off Cumeni when it has fewer provisions for a long siege. Once again we see the Book of Mormon presaging military techniques that were documented for the later Aztecs (Hassig 1988, p. 107).

Alma 57:9

9 And it came to pass that we did camp round about the city for many nights; but we did sleep upon our swords, and keep guards, that the Lamanites could not come upon us by night and slay us, which they attempted many times; but as many times as they attempted this their blood was spilt.

The defensive attempt at Cumeni was not passive. They made sorties at night when the majority of the Nephite army was asleep and attempted to breach the siege-circle. If the sorties were able to discern a weakness, and exploit it, they might open a path through the sieging army and break the stranglehold. The Nephites were prepared for such attacks and repelled them.

Alma 57:10

10 At length their provisions did arrive, and they were about to enter the city by night. And we, instead of being Lamanites, were Nephites; therefore, we did take them and their provisions.

The Nephites had managed to move into position without the approaching supply train being aware of the siege of the city. The supply line continued its approach to Cumeni, but the Nephites were waiting for them, and the supplies were captured.

Alma 57:11

11 And notwithstanding the Lamanites being cut off from their support after this manner, they were still determined to maintain the city; therefore it became expedient that we should take those provisions and send them to Judea, and our prisoners to the land of Zarahemla.

The Nephites now prepare for an attack. This attack was apparently going to be a full scale attack because they get rid of their prisoners and excess provisions. They do not want to be concerned with any kind of Lamanites at their back, and so the prisoners are sent to Zarahemla as the prisoners from the prisoners from the army of Antiparah had been after their defeat by Helaman and the army of Antipus.

The provisions apparently were not needed for the short term sustenance of the seiging army. They were sent to Judea, which was the home base for this army. The army would either return there victorious, or in sore need of recuperation.

Alma 57:12

12 And it came to pass that not many days had passed away before the Lamanites began to lose all hopes of succor; therefore they yielded up the city unto our hands; and thus we had accomplished our designs in obtaining the city Cumeni.

Even though the Nephites were preparing for an attack, the siege worked, and the city of Cumeni surrendered itself. The rapid fall of Cumeni suggests that they had been quite low on provisions before this supply train was to arrive, and the denial of the supplies placed them is a very difficult situation. The fall of Cumeni happened faster than one might suppose, and this is likely due to the fact that it had been a captured Nephite city. The fall of the Nephite Cumeni would have expended the stores of Cumeni from the days of the Nephite occupation, and the Lamanites inherited a city with few stored provisions, and the inability to replenish them by intensive farming. They were even more dependent upon the outside supplies, and their fall came rapidly when those provisions were not forthcoming.

Alma 57:13

13 But it came to pass that our prisoners were so numerous that, notwithstanding the enormity of our numbers, we were obliged to employ all our force to keep them, or to put them to death.

Alma 57:14

14 For behold, they would break out in great numbers, and would fight with stones, and with clubs, or whatsoever thing they could get into their hands, insomuch that we did slay upwards of two thousand of them after they had surrendered themselves prisoners of war.

The city of Cumeni surrendered, but the Lamanites had not surrendered their fighting spirit. It appears that they understood that they had strength in numbers, and may have attempted these breakouts as a secondary strategy after being required to give up Cumeni. They fight their captors, and the entire Nephite army is required to attend to them to keep them under control.

Alma 57:15

15 Therefore it became expedient for us, that we should put an end to their lives, or guard them, sword in hand, down to the land of Zarahemla; and also our provisions were not any more than sufficient for our own people, notwithstanding that which we had taken from the Lamanites.

Helaman has a choice, and clearly the choice is to send the prisoners to Zarahemla. Helaman had sent the excess provisions to Judea, and even with what little was in Cumeni, they are hard pressed to feed all of the mouths that were now in their camps. They need to rid themselves of the captives, and would have to do so by killing them or sending them to Zarahemla.

Alma 57:16

16 And now, in those critical circumstances, it became a very serious matter to determine concerning these prisoners of war; nevertheless, we did resolve to send them down to the land of Zarahemla; therefore we selected a part of our men, and gave them charge over our prisoners to go down to the land of Zarahemla.

Alma 57:17

17 But it came to pass that on the morrow they did return. And now behold, we did not inquire of them concerning the prisoners; for behold, the Lamanites were upon us, and they returned in season to save us from falling into their hands. For behold, Ammoron had sent to their support a new supply of provisions and also a numerous army of men.

Alma 57:18

18 And it came to pass that those men whom we sent with the prisoners did arrive in season to check them, as they were about to overpower us.

Helaman collapses time in this recitation, and shows himself a poor storyteller. There is great drama in this little story, but Helaman does not exploit the tension that was there. This is because Helaman’s intent is to laud the faith and miraculous preservation of his band of Ammonites. For the modern reader, however, we could use an understanding of this dramatic situation.

Helaman makes the decision to send this unruly bunch of prisoners to Zarahemla. In order to do so he must send a fair number of men to guard them precisely because they had been so unruly. Thus Helaman’s entire army had been reduced not by attrition, but by the need to guard prisoners that they decided not to murder in the field. The net effect of the mission was to decrease Helaman’s effective fighting force.

Helaman would also have left some men to guard Cumeni, but appears to have been returning to Judea. In any event, as they are in the field the Lamanites fall upon them and they are on the verge of defeat. As they are facing defeat at the hands of the Lamanites they have a miraculous salvation. The force that had been sent with the prisoners returns and is able to swing the tide of the battle in favor of the Nephites.

The arrival of these reinforcements is miraculous to those who were fighting because they should not have been able to return. Zarahemla was further off, and they should not have been able to reach Zarahemla and return. Returning early should have meant that they still had the Lamanite prisoners with them, and the presence of those prisoners would make it more difficult for them to fight effectively. In spite of all of these reasons that they should not have been able to help, they were nevertheless there in time, and the battle was won. In the next few verses we learn why.

Alma 57:19

19 But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them.

Helaman began with a band of two thousand, and has added sixty more. He now refers to them as two thousand and sixty. This appears to be a count, but does not necessary have to indicate that there was a full two thousand in the contingent (though there may well have been). Helaman may simply be noting the two separate time-origins of his force, the better to indicate that none of them were lost, either form the first two thousand or from the later sixty.

Alma 57:20

20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.

Alma 57:21

21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

The Ammonite warriors fight valiantly. They had been bloodied before, so they were now not inexperienced, but they were still fighting in a battle that appeared to be lost until the miraculous appearance of the unexpected return of the men who had been guarding the prisoners. In spite of fighting in what appeared to be a losing situation, they still fought bravely.

Helaman does tell us that there had been some training going on, because he indicates that they “did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness.” Military units must know how to fight in a coordinated fashion, and Helaman had taught his young men the things they needed to know to be effective. Part of their effectiveness was that they did follow the commands. This would indicate that they were fighting as a unit rather than as individuals, and that increased their relative strength. A coordinated unit is much more devastating that a similar number of individuals that are not well coordinated.

Alma 57:22

22 And now behold, it was these my sons, and those men who had been selected to convey the prisoners, to whom we owe this great victory; for it was they who did beat the Lamanites; therefore they were driven back to the city of Manti.

Helaman is intent on praising the Ammonites, and they deserved his admiration and praise. Helaman also recognizes, however, that the final salvation of the battle was the return of the men who were transporting prisoners. Nevertheless, the valor of the Ammonites in holding the line gave the time needed for the reinforcements to arrive and finish the task.

Alma 57:23

23 And we retained our city Cumeni, and were not all destroyed by the sword; nevertheless, we had suffered great loss.

Alma 57:24

24 And it came to pass that after the Lamanites had fled, I immediately gave orders that my men who had been wounded should be taken from among the dead, and caused that their wounds should be dressed.

Alma 57:25

25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.

Cumeni is saved and the battle won. As any general would do, Helaman asks for an accounting of the lives of his men, his sons. As in the previous engagement, none has lost their life. In contrast to the last battle, however, this time they have come closer to death. There are many who have fainted because of the loss of blood. This is likely the cause of death for many in the ancient hand-to-hand battles. With the type of protective armor they wore, and the type of weapons that were brought to bear, it would be more difficult to strike a death blow, but loss of blood would be a significant cause of death. While the preservation of each of the Ammonites continues to be miraculous, it is a miracle in this case because the battle ends in time to save those who had fainted from loss of blood. Had the battle continued, those would have been lost, and more would have joined their ranks.

Alma 57:26

26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

Alma 57:27

27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.

The miracle of the preservation of the Ammonite sons is noticed by all the army. There have been a thousand casualties, but none of them among the Ammonites. It was certainly not because they were spared direct confrontation, for they were clearly in the thick of the fighting. Nevertheless, they were preserved.

Historical: A note should be made on the numbers of men lost in this battle. We know that Helaman could have easily fielded an army of eight thousand men. He had his two thousand, and the six thousand who had come from Zarahemla. That does not count the remainder of the men of the army of Antipus, which surely exceeded Helaman’s two thousand. As a rough guess, we may suppose that there were eight thousand Nephites defending the field from the attacking Lamanites. Out of eight thousand there are only a thousand deaths. Why is it that the Nephites believed that they were losing the battle?

The nature of ancient warfare was such that the attrition of men was not simply through death, but also through injury. Helaman had those in his charge who were ineffective in battle because they had fainted. While still alive, they were nevertheless non-combatants. Similarly, some of the injuries may have been enough to remove a warrior from combat. One who had received injuries to his arms that did not allow him to raise a weapon might still be alive, but were ineffective. Battles typically included far greater numbers of wounded that dead. Thus a thousand dead did not indicate the real weakness of the position of the army. The weakness came as well from those who were wounded and therefore unable to continue the combat.

The miracle of the Ammonites was not in their complete preservation, but in their ultimate preservation. They did not escape injury, but even through their injuries they did escape death. The complete absence of loss of life among them was miraculous, and Helaman and the army focused on that part of the miracle.

Spiritual: The lesson of the Ammonite warriors is certainly one of the effectiveness of faith, but it should also teach us that ultimate salvation and absence from pain are not the same promise. We too are promised salvation upon our faith, but we are not promised that we will not be injured along the way. For some it is a physical injury, for some it is a spiritual one. In all cases, the promise of our eternal reward does not prevent us from all of the bumps in the road that life throws at us. Even though the promises to the Ammonites were explicitly fulfilled, we should not extrapolate their preservation unduly. They had a specific promise given as a corollary to the Nephite foundational promise, that they would be preserved through their righteousness. This became a specific promise for them. While we have the same ultimate promise, the promise is more spiritual and than literal, and there are many worthy young men and women who have lost their lives, in spite of their righteousness. For most of us, the fulfillment of this promise may not come in the mortal life, but is guaranteed to us in the eternal.

Alma 57:28

28 And now it came to pass that after we had thus taken care of our wounded men, and had buried our dead and also the dead of the Lamanites, who were many, behold, we did inquire of Gid concerning the prisoners whom they had started to go down to the land of Zarahemla with.

Alma 57:29

29 Now Gid was the chief captain over the band who was appointed to guard them down to the land.

After the exhausting task of battle, and the emotionally draining aftermath, they finally have the time and presence of mind to ask about the miraculous return of Gid and his men.

Alma 57:30

30 And now, these are the words which Gid said unto me: Behold, we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla with our prisoners. And it came to pass that we did meet the spies of our armies, who had been sent out to watch the camp of the Lamanites.

Alma 57:31

31 And they cried unto us, saying—Behold, the armies of the Lamanites are marching towards the city of Cumeni; and behold, they will fall upon them, yea, and will destroy our people.

Gid and his men are in transit when the Nephite spies tell them that Ammoron’s reinforcements are marching to Cumeni. While they may have had Cumeni as a destination, they clearly find and engage Helaman’s forces in the field.

Historical: In Mesoamerican warfare the use of spies was not only common, it was essential. Among the Aztecs the spies were called quimichtin “mice,” which is rather descriptive of their role of being intrusive and quite. The Aztec quimichtin would speak the language and wear the dress of the people on whom they were spying upon (Hassig 1988, p. 51). We do not know if the Nephite spies attempted the same type of infiltration, but the need for information was no less great among the Nephites than among the later Aztecs. Mesoamerica had a long history of military spies.

Alma 57:32

32 And it came to pass that our prisoners did hear their cries, which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in rebellion against us.

Alma 57:33

33 And it came to pass because of their rebellion we did cause that our swords should come upon them. And it came to pass that they did in a body run upon our swords, in the which, the greater number of them were slain; and the remainder of them broke through and fled from us.

Alma 57:34

34 And behold, when they had fled and we could not overtake them, we took our march with speed towards the city Cumeni; and behold, we did arrive in time that we might assist our brethren in preserving the city.

The prisoners being escorted to Zarahemla had already proven rebellious, and they revolt again. This time many are killed, but many also break through the ranks. Of course Gid reports that they killed more than broke through, and this may have been correct. It would not be surprising, however, if the escapees were more numerous than the dead, and Gid simply reported it in the most favorable way. The end result was that the Nephites lost their prisoners, and some of them were able to escape and make their way back to the Lamanite lines.

This combination of slaughter and escape did free Gid and his men from the necessity of watching those men, and that freedom allowed them to march faster and fight more freely when they did return to the assistance of Helaman’s army in the field. Even though the loss of the prisoners was not ideal, the end result of that loss was the preservation of a Nephite army, and a valuable exchange.

Alma 57:35

35 And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands of our enemies. And blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.

Alma 57:36

36 Now it came to pass that when I, Helaman, had heard these words of Gid, I was filled with exceeding joy because of the goodness of God in preserving us, that we might not all perish; yea, and I trust that the souls of them who have been slain have entered into the rest of their God.

Helaman rejoices in the preservation of his men, and is sad for those who have died. Nevertheless, faith is not just for the living, but is also for the fate of the dead. Helaman can be mildly consoled in the loss of life knowing that they have fought valiantly, and that they have entered into the rest of God.

Textual: Helaman’s letter continues into our next chapter. There is no break in the 1830 edition because Mormon’s conceptual chapter included the entirety of the epistle.