Alma 49:10-17

¹⁰ Now, if king Amalickiah had come down out of the land of Nephi, at the head of his army, perhaps he would have caused the Lamanites to have attacked the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah; for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people. ¹¹ But behold, Amalickiah did not come down himself to battle.  And behold, his chief captains durst not attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah, for Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites, insomuch that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and they could not come upon them.

¹² Therefore they retreated into the wilderness, and took their camp and marched towards the land of Noah, supposing that to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites. ¹³ For they knew not that Moroni had fortified, or had built forts of security, for every city in all the land round about; therefore, they marched forward to the land of Noah with a firm determination; yea, their chief captains came forward and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city.

Alma 49:10-13 (Emphasis mine)

King Amalickiah was not present with his armies.  There is little doubt that, had he been present, he would have attacked Ammonihah. 

It’s easy for a king to sacrifice the lives of his men, especially since “he did care not for the blood of his people.”  Hugh Nibley writes about Amalickiah.

“He made war the cornerstone of his policy and power, using a systematic and carefully planned communications system of towers and trained speakers to stir up the people to fight for their rights, meaning Amalickiah's career. For while Moroni had kind feelings for the enemy, Amalickiah ‘did care not for the blood of his [own] people’ (Alma 49:10). His object in life was to become king of both the Nephites and Lamanites, using the one to subdue the other (Alma 46:4—5). He was a master of dirty tricks, to which he owed some of his most brilliant achievements as he maintained his upward mobility by clever murders, high-powered public relations, and great executive ability.”[1] (Emphasis mine)

Fortunately for the army, he was not there.  Their chief captains “durst not attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah.”  They would lose if they did.

It was decided that they should head “towards the land of Noah.”  They believed that “to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites.” 

What they didn’t know was “Moroni had fortified, or had built forts of security, for every city in all the land about.”  They were marching into a situation similar to what they left. 

Confidence can bring forth arrogance.  We see it among the Lamanites.  It seems their “chief captains came forward and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city.”

They marched forward.  They were confident of victory.  Nothing could stop them.  Then, they came into the land.  “But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah” (Alma 49:14).

Not only was it fortified, but it was also fortified better than Ammonihah!  Now what?  So much for confidence and arrogance.

¹⁵ And now, behold, this was wisdom in Moroni; for he had supposed that they would be frightened at the city Ammonihah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it was according to his desires. ¹⁶ And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that same Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east of the river Sidon.

¹⁷ And now behold it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city they were again disappointed, for they feared Lehi exceedingly; nevertheless their chief captains had sworn with an oath to attack the city; therefore, they brought up their armies.

Alma 49:15-17 (Emphasis mine)

We once again see wisdom of Moroni(1).  “[H]e had supposed that they would be frightened at the City of Ammonihah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the land,” they would head there.   “The supreme test of generalship, we are told, is to have the enemy play your game, making just the moves you want him to make under the impression that he is being very smart on his own. Moroni did just that, and the attack on the city of Noah ‘was according to his desires’ (Alma 49:15). He had devised a new and ingenious type of defense for the city gate, which proved a death-trap for the Lamanites.”[2]

Not only was it well fortified, Lehi(2) had been appointed as the commanding general.  “The ‘chief captains came forward and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city’ (Alma 49:13). Unknown to the captains, the city of Noah was extremely well fortified and was commanded by Lehi, whom they ‘feared ... exceedingly’ (Alma 49:17). (He had previously defeated the Lamanites near the river Sidon; see Alma 43:35-40.) When the captains arrived at Noah, they began an attack only because ‘they had sworn with an oath to attack the city’ (Alma 49:17).”[3]

Things will not go well for the Lamanites.

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[1] Leaders to Managers: The Fatal Shift, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 11, 2012.

[2] A Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 11, 2012.

[3] The Impact of Shifting Cultural Assumptions on the Military Policies Directing Armed Conflict Reported in the Book of Alma, Matthew M. F. Hilton, and Neil J. Flinders, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 11, 2012.