Alma 58

Alma 58:1

1 And behold, now it came to pass that our next object was to obtain the city of Manti; but behold, there was no way that we could lead them out of the city by our small bands. For behold, they remembered that which we had hitherto done; therefore we could not decoy them away from their strongholds.

The geography of this area combines with the nature of the cities to dictate strategy. Antiparah was not considered very valuable by the Lamanites, and they gave it up without a fight. Cumeni was more important, and it was defended by a strong army. The next objective after the retaking of Cumeni is Manti. This is interesting because Zeezrom should lie between Cumeni and Manti.

The fact that the Nephites could skip Zeezrom and go directly to Manti tells us that Zeezrom is not very formidable, and that it was not defended with an army significant enough to worry about. Manti, however, would have been a much more important city, as we have heard about Manti for a long time in the Book of Mormon.

What Helaman tells us about Manti is that the deception that led to the recapture of Cumeni would not work. Word of that ruse and the result have clearly reached Manti, and those in charge will not fall for the ruse now that it is known.

Alma 58:2

2 And they were so much more numerous than was our army that we durst not go forth and attack them in their strongholds.

Alma 58:3

3 Yea, and it became expedient that we should employ our men to the maintaining those parts of the land which we had regained of our possessions; therefore it became expedient that we should wait, that we might receive more strength from the land of Zarahemla and also a new supply of provisions.

Helaman’s forces have hit a problem. They need to diminish their forces by defending the retaken cities, but now their force faces a larger army that is entrenched in defensible cities. There is nothing for them to do but maintain the status quo and await reinforcements from Zarahemla.

Alma 58:4

4 And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor of our land, to acquaint him concerning the affairs of our people. And it came to pass that we did wait to receive provisions and strength from the land of Zarahemla.

Alma 58:5

5 But behold, this did profit us but little; for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength from day to day, and also many provisions; and thus were our circumstances at this period of time.

The Lamanites in Manti have been able to maintain their supply lines into Manti. Even as Helaman’s forces await reinforcements and provisions, the Lamanites are already receiving their own reinforcements and provisions. As time passes, the situation actually becomes worse for the Nephites.

Alma 58:6

6 And the Lamanites were sallying forth against us from time to time, resolving by stratagem to destroy us; nevertheless we could not come to battle with them, because of their retreats and their strongholds.

Alma 58:7

7 And it came to pass that we did wait in these difficult circumstances for the space of many months, even until we were about to perish for the want of food.

The Lamanites are well-provisioned, and they begin harassing sorties. The Nephites can defend themselves, but cannot attack. Helaman notes that they are not receiving food. Thus the situation typical of a siege is reversed. The attacking army is the one that is not at the disadvantage. Since the supply lines to Manti have not been disrupted, Manti remains strong, and the lack of supplies begins to take its toll on Helaman’s troops. We saw with the fall of Cumeni that there was no little or no locally produced food. Cumeni fell through hunger, and those same problems now face the Nephite army.

Alma 58:8

8 But it came to pass that we did receive food, which was guarded to us by an army of two thousand men to our assistance; and this is all the assistance which we did receive, to defend ourselves and our country from falling into the hands of our enemies, yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.

Alma 58:9

9 And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear, lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction.

Helaman shows a little of the frustration that he had with the Zarahemla government. Since this is after the fact, the tone he would have taken at the time would likely have been much harsher than it appears here. We see some of that frustration when he speaks of “our embarrassments.” An army that was defending the nation from the approach of a huge Lamanite army received nothing more than a unit of two thousand, a number Helaman has called a “little band” (Alma 57:19). It was certainly a drop in the bucket compared to the reinforcements he saw the Lamanites receive. He exaggerates the Lamanite force to “innumerable.” While certainly not accurate, it was nevertheless an impressive comparison of the relative sizes of the armies arrayed against each other.

Alma 58:10

10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.

Alma 58:11

11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

Alma 58:12

12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.

Helaman is a man of faith first, and a man of war second. He is leading a unit of Ammonites who have been preserved upon their faith through tremendous battles. Such a man facing innumerable opponents and receiving but little reinforcements complains a little, but then pours out his soul to God. Two things happen. The first is that God lets him know that all will be well. The second is that all in the Nephite army believe this assurance. Certainly they had the miraculous salvation of the Ammonites to point to as a token of the power of faith, and they are willing to exercise faith in the will of the Lord.

Alma 58:13

13 And thus we did go forth with all our might against the Lamanites, who were in the city of Manti; and we did pitch our tents by the wilderness side, which was near to the city.

Alma 58:14

14 And it came to pass that on the morrow, that when the Lamanites saw that we were in the borders by the wilderness which was near the city, that they sent out their spies round about us that they might discover the number and the strength of our army.

Alma 58:15

15 And it came to pass that when they saw that we were not strong, according to our numbers, and fearing that we should cut them off from their support except they should come out to battle against us and kill us, and also supposing that they could easily destroy us with their numerous hosts, therefore they began to make preparations to come out against us to battle.

Alma 58:16

16 And when we saw that they were making preparations to come out against us, behold, I caused that Gid, with a small number of men, should secrete himself in the wilderness, and also that Teomner and a small number of men should secrete themselves also in the wilderness.

Even though the Lamanites had become more cautious of strategy, they see a very weak army encamped about them, and they see an easy victory close at hand. The do have some concern because of the supply route. The know that the disruption of their supplies could hamper even an army of their size. Therefore, they consider this just one more tactical sally, but on a larger scale. Possessed of apparently overwhelming numbers, they presume that they can destroy Helaman’s army with a finality that would likely give them final victory in this area.

The reason that this strategy works is that Gid and Teomner depart with their men only after the Lamanite spies have reported the troop strength. Those spies had certainly ascertained the total Nephite troop strength, and when they returned to report, undoubtedly indicated that the entire Nephite army was camped around Manti. With the whole of the army in front of them, the Lamanites have no hint of a trap, because they do not believe that there are any more men in the region who could spring a trap. Indeed, they were actually quite correct in this, for Gid and Temoner’s men were with the main army when the spies counted. They left after the count to set the trap.

Alma 58:17

17 Now Gid and his men were on the right and the others on the left; and when they had thus secreted themselves, behold, I remained, with the remainder of my army, in that same place where we had first pitched our tents against the time that the Lamanites should come out to battle.

Alma 58:18

18 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come out with their numerous army against us. And when they had come and were about to fall upon us with the sword, I caused that my men, those who were with me, should retreat into the wilderness.

Alma 58:19

19 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did follow after us with great speed, for they were exceedingly desirous to overtake us that they might slay us; therefore they did follow us into the wilderness; and we did pass by in the midst of Gid and Teomner, insomuch that they were not discovered by the Lamanites.

Alma 58:20

20 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had passed by, or when the army had passed by, Gid and Teomner did rise up from their secret places, and did cut off the spies of the Lamanites that they should not return to the city.

Helaman’s forces do what the Lamanites most likely expected them to do. They broke and ran in front of the Lamanite assault. Since they were operating under intelligence that told them that this was the whole of the Nephite army, they pursued. Had they any indication that this was not the full army, they might have suspected a trap and not followed. The hidden Nephite troops rise up, and the first thing they do is kill the spies. These spies were the eyes and ears of the military force, in this case, they wanted the element of surprise as they attack Manti.

Historical: There is an interesting phrase used in the description of the actions of Gid and Teomner’s men. It says that they “did rise up from their secret places.” This doesn’t tell us much, but the idea of rising up from a secret place is tantalizingly close to another favorite tactic of the Aztec army.

“One feint described many times in the historical accounts involved the use of foxholes and cover. During the war with Tecuantepec, King Axayacatl advanced at the front of his army. When the opponents attacked, he fell back to a place where his soldiers were hidden by straw, whereupon they attacked and won. In the war against the Huaxtecs, King Moteuczomah Ilhuicamina formed his units and attacked, before feigning a retreat. This drew the Huaxtecs forward until two thousand armed cuahchicqueh and otontin warriors, camouflaged with grass, arose and destroyed them. The same basic tactic was used in many other wars. In the war against Tolocan (Toluca), King Axayacatl and eight of his generals concealed themselves in straw-covered holds in the ground. When the Aztec army retreated past their location, they leaped out, killed the Toloca lords, and routed the army.” (Hassig, 1988, p. 103).

Helaman does not tell us if there were a covering of grass, nor does he specifically mention foxholes, though the idea of rising up would strongly suggest that they may have used this type of strategy. In any case, they had to be aware of the passage of the Lamanite army, and yet be concealed so as not to be seen. Knowing that this was a tactic that was later used effectively by a Mesoamerican army suggests that it is not out of the question that it was also the tactic employed here. It is also interesting to note in passing the correlation between the hidden unit of two thousand that King Moteuczomah Ilhuicamina used and Helaman’s unit of two thousand (and the reinforcement unit of two thousand).

Alma 58:21

21 And it came to pass that when they had cut them off, they ran to the city and fell upon the guards who were left to guard the city, insomuch that they did destroy them and did take possession of the city.

Alma 58:22

22 Now this was done because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness.

The entire operation hinges on the fact that the Lamanites had good intelligence about the size of Helaman’s army, and that when they were counted they were all found to be in the field. The secret deployment of the two units was unnoticed, and the Lamanites operated on their best intelligence. With the entire Nephite army in front of them, there was little need to defend Manti, as the battle would be final, and all Nephite opposition in this area should have been eliminated.

Alma 58:23

23 And it came to pass that Gid and Teomner by this means had obtained possession of their strongholds. And it came to pass that we took our course, after having traveled much in the wilderness towards the land of Zarahemla.

Alma 58:24

24 And when the Lamanites saw that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceedingly afraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction; therefore they began to retreat into the wilderness again, yea, even back by the same way which they had come.

Helaman had not intention of attempting to meet this army. The strategy here was not one of encirclement, for the Lamanite army was sufficiently superior that it could have likely withstood a two-front engagement with the small Nephite forces. Helaman marches directly on to Zarahemla, a place of refuge and presumably more reinforcements. The Lamanites not this path, and assume that there are Zarahemlaite troops preparing to meet them. Rather than face an unknown force, they retreat.

Alma 58:25

25 And behold, it was night and they did pitch their tents, for the chief captains of the Lamanites had supposed that the Nephites were weary because of their march; and supposing that they had driven their whole army therefore they took no thought concerning the city of Manti.

Alma 58:26

26 Now it came to pass that when it was night, I caused that my men should not sleep, but that they should march forward by another way towards the land of Manti.

Alma 58:27

27 And because of this our march in the night-time, behold, on the morrow we were beyond the Lamanites, insomuch that we did arrive before them at the city of Manti.

Once again the Lamanites allowed themselves to be lulled by their intelligence. Having determined that the path of march of the Nephite columns was toward Zarahemla, they stop. Both armies had evidently marched for a fair distance, as the Lamanites make camp rather than return to Manti. They were far enough away, and had a large enough force, that it was more prudent to stop for the night.

Helaman has his troops perform a dangerous forced night march. By acting while their enemy slept, they were able to return to Manti and find it in Nephite hands.

Alma 58:28

28 And thus it came to pass, that by this stratagem we did take possession of the city of Manti without the shedding of blood.

Once inside the city, Helaman’s men could rest. If the Lamanites attacked, then Helaman’s men would be roused, but unless that happened, the Nephite army was now safely inside a defensible city, that appears to have been well provisioned by the Lamanites. Now the Nephites held the advantage even though they were still the smaller army.

Alma 58:29

29 And it came to pass that when the armies of the Lamanites did arrive near the city, and saw that we were prepared to meet them, they were astonished exceedingly and struck with great fear, insomuch that they did flee into the wilderness.

Alma 58:30

30 Yea, and it came to pass that the armies of the Lamanites did flee out of all this quarter of the land. But behold, they have carried with them many women and children out of the land.

When the Lamanite army returns it finds Mulek in Nephite hands. This is contrary to all of the information they have received, and is so completely unexpected that they retreat in disarray. Helaman indicates that the remove “out of all this quarter of the land.” Of course Helaman does not consider this a final victory, but rather a retaking of Nephite territory that he must now hold.

The interesting statement that we find in verse 30 is that “they have carried with them many women and children out of the land.” Why might this have happened? Why didn’t they leave the women and children in the city? How was it that women and children happened to be with the Lamanite army?

The Book of Mormon does not tell us, but we may make some speculation. When the Aztec armies marched they carried with them some provisions, but they also had many people accompanying them who were porters carrying more provisions (Hassig 1998, pp. 63-64). It is probable that the women and children were employed in the task of carrying provisions for the marching army.

Alma 58:31

31 And those cities which had been taken by the Lamanites, all of them are at this period of time in our possession; and our fathers and our women and our children are returning to their homes, all save it be those who have been taken prisoners and carried off by the Lamanites.

Helaman is reporting that the lost cities and lands are regained. The Nephites are returning to their homes, and we may suppose that they will attempt to return to some semblance of their normal life. With the ravages of war, one of the first tasks will be to tend to crops to fend off famine.

Alma 58:32

32 But behold, our armies are small to maintain so great a number of cities and so great possessions.

Alma 58:33

33 But behold, we trust in our God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own.

Alma 58:34

34 Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength; neither do those men who came up unto us know why we have not received greater strength.

Helaman has had two purposes in his epistle. The first was a military report, including the miraculous faith of his untrained young men. The second purpose is not stated. Helaman needs reinforcements, and his appeals to Zarahemla for reinforcements and provisions have not yielded the help he needs, particularly now that he must distribute his army to protect the retaken cities. He brings this to Moroni’s attention, clearly hoping that Moroni may have some say in remedying the situation.

Alma 58:35

35 Behold, we do not know but what ye are unsuccessful, and ye have drawn away the forces into that quarter of the land; if so, we do not desire to murmur.

Helaman is cautious in his request for help, because he has no knowledge of Moroni’s status, and he allows that perhaps Moroni is in very difficult straits and all available reinforcements have gone to his aid. Of course this is not what has happened, but Helaman does not know what the real status is.

Alma 58:36

36 And if it is not so, behold, we fear that there is some faction in the government, that they do not send more men to our assistance; for we know that they are more numerous than that which they have sent.

Helaman is well aware of the unstable political situation that has existed in Zarahemla. If Moroni has not sapped the reserves, then they are not forthcoming because one of the rebellious groups has found a way to prevent them. Helaman was well aware of the kingmen who where willing to invite the Lamanites in by refusing to raise arms. Something of the sort could be behind the lack of reinforcements. Helaman’s fears are legitimate.

Alma 58:37

37 But, behold, it mattereth not—we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.

Helaman expresses his faith. His faith in God gave them the city of Mulek against overwhelming odds, and did so without the shedding of blood. Helaman has faith that they can hold out, but would dearly love reinforcements in any case.

Alma 58:38

38 Behold, this is the twenty and ninth year, in the latter end, and we are in the possession of our lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.

Helaman is writing this in the end of the twenty ninth year, and we began this section in the beginning of the thirtieth. We are almost caught up to current time, which Mormon measures against Moroni’s actions.

Alma 58:39

39 And those sons of the people of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord had supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain.

Alma 58:40

40 But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.

Helaman ends with the restatement of the theme of faith. Helaman has faith, but he is still impressed with the tremendous faith of his young warriors. Helaman was likely also proud of generals such as Gid and Teomner, but the impression made by these young men who so exceeded expectations is still the source of his greatest amazement.

Alma 58:41

41 And now, my beloved brother, Moroni, may the Lord our God, who has redeemed us and made us free, keep you continually in his presence; yea, and may he favor this people, even that ye may have success in obtaining the possession of all that which the Lamanites have taken from us, which was for our support. And now, behold, I close mine epistle. I am Helaman, the son of Alma.

Helaman closes with a blessing on Moroni and the cause in general. His final statement is to identify himself once again as the author of this letter. It is probable that there were no such thing as signatures by which one might recognize the writer of a letter, and so what we have is Helaman’s declaration that is meant to give his authority. Notice that he gives the formal “Helaman, the son of Alma.” Doubtless Moroni is well aware of who Helaman’s father was. This statement is not here to give Moroni information he does not know, but rather to formally seal this letter with the authority of Helaman, the chief priest.

Textual: With the end of this inserted letter, Mormon ends his chapter.