Chapter 55
Moroni refuses to
exchange prisoners—The Lamanite guards are enticed to become drunk, and the
Nephite prisoners are freed—The city of Gid is taken without bloodshed. About
63–62 B.C.
1 NOW it came to pass that when Moroni had received
this epistle he was more angry, because he knew that Ammoron had a perfect knowledge
of his fraud; yea, he knew that Ammoron knew that it was not a just cause
that had caused him to wage a war against the people of Nephi. 2
And he said: Behold, I will not exchange prisoners with Ammoron
save he will withdraw his purpose, as I have stated in my epistle; for
I will not grant unto him that he shall have any more power than what he hath
got.
3 Behold, I know the place where the Lamanites do
guard my people whom they have taken prisoners; and as Ammoron would
not grant unto me mine epistle, behold, I will give unto him according to my
words; yea, I will seek death among them until they shall sue for peace. 4
And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words, he
caused that a search should be made among his men, that perhaps he might find a
man who was a descendant of Laman among them.
Alma 55:1 – 4 (Emphasis mine)
Moroni(1) is angrier than he was with Ammoron. He knew that they were not fighting a just
cause. They were fighting for power;
they were fighting to subjugate the Nephites.
Ammoron refused to admit this.
“In Alma 55:1: ‘... when Moroni had received this epistle he
was more angry, because he knew that Ammoron had a perfect knowledge of his
fraud.’ After all, what would you expect? Notice, it was a personal thing. He
was mad at Ammoron; he wasn't mad at anybody else. He knew that Ammoron knew
this was just P.R. as far as he was concerned. He said, ‘I will not exchange
prisoners ...’" The deal falls through, of course. This is the point.
It would have been to the advantage of both of them, but it was a personal huff
on both sides. This happens quite often. ‘I will seek death among them until
they shall sue for peace.’ That's the way he is feeling. Ammoron wouldn't sue
for peace either. Each one was trying to be more stubborn than the other. ‘We'll
show him.’ So everything fails when you lose your temper. But, as I said, this
was required by custom to go through this idiotic routine.”[1]
(Emphasis mine)
He refuses to exchange prisoners with Ammoron. But, Moroni(1) has a trick up his
sleeve.
“Knowing that this will not happen, however, Moroni plans a
stratagem that has nothing to do with his apparent intent in the first letter.
He responds to Ammoron's claim, "I am a bold Lamanite" (Alma 54:24),
by getting a true Lamanite—fittingly named Laman and a descendant of Laman—to
trick the Lamanites and free the prisoners in the city of Gid. (This Laman had
been accused of murdering the king of the Lamanites, when the crime was
actually Amalickiah's.)”[2]
(Emphasis mine)
He has a search for a Lamanite among his troops. Why a Lamanite? “At one point, Moroni had to search among his
troops to find ‘a descendant of Laman’ to send on a spying mission (Alma
55:4-5). The implication of the story is that the Nephites either didn't look
enough like Lamanites or didn't speak like them and could therefore not have
deceived them. This undoubtedly resulted from the geographical separation of
the tribes.”[3]
5 And it came to pass that they found one, whose name was
Laman; and he was one of the servants of the king who was murdered by
Amalickiah. 6 Now Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of his
men should go forth unto the guards who were over the Nephites. 7
Now the Nephites were guarded in the city of Gid; therefore Moroni appointed
Laman and caused that a small number of men should go with him.
Alma 55:5 – 7 (Emphasis mine)
I would imagine that Laman had to appreciate the irony of
the situation. Amalickiah accused him of
killing the king when he had him murdered.
Now he is going to have an opportunity to help defeat the brother of his
accuser.
8 And when it was evening Laman went to the guards
who were over the Nephites, and behold, they saw him coming and they
hailed him; but he saith unto them: Fear not; behold, I am a Lamanite. Behold, we have escaped from the Nephites,
and they sleep; and behold we have taken of their wine and brought with us.
9
Now when the Lamanites heard these words they received him with joy; and they
said unto him: Give us of your wine, that we may drink; we are glad that ye
have thus taken wine with you for we are weary.
10 But Laman said unto them: Let us keep of our wine till we
go against the Nephites to battle. But
this saying only made them more desirous to drink of the wine; 11
For, said they: We are weary, therefore let us take of the wine, and by and by
we shall receive wine for our rations, which will strengthen us to go against
the Nephites. 12 And Laman said unto them: You may do according to your
desires.
Alma 55:8 – 12 (Emphasis mine)
Moroni(1) uses the well-proven method with Lamanite guards: getting them drunk.
When Laman and his group arrive, they tell the guards and
they escaped from the Nephites. Oh, by
the way, we brought wine with us. The
guards want to drink it immediately. No,
Laman tells them. “Let us keep of our
wine till we go against the Nephites to battle.” This just made it more desirable and the
guards and they insisted on drinking it now.
Laman gives them the wine.
“But Moroni knew more than one way of skinning a cat. He
planned by a ruse to free the war prisoners held in the city of Gid. The
trick exploited the well-known psychology of troops on permanent guard duty.
Such troops must always be on the alert for what they never expect to happen
and what, if they do their duty, never will happen. Their way of life becomes a stultifying bore, with
the same dull routines from day to day and from week to week. Nothing offers a
more welcome release to such misery than a little nip now and then, or, better
still, a party. A native Lamanite in the Nephite service answered the
challenge of the Lamanite guards one evening with the announcement that his
little party were escapees from the Nephites who had managed to get away with
some of their wine. Of course the guards insisted on sampling the stuff on the spot and on
the sly; the protest of its owners that they should keep it against the day of
battle ‘only made them more desirous to drink of the wine’ (Alma
55:10). It was a typical ‘G.I.’ binge with everybody getting happily drunk at
the guardhouse since the stuff was doctored, ‘having been prepared in its
strength’ (Alma 55:13). While the guards were carousing and falling
asleep, weapons were being thrown over the wall at certain places under
Moroni's personal supervision, and the guards even ‘had they awakened’ would
have been out of a job (Alma 55:16—18).”[4]
(Emphasis mine)
[1] Lecture
71: Alma 54-57, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, May
2, 2012.
[2] "Their
Fathers" - Letters and Autobiography, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed May 2, 2012.
[3] Book
of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes, John A. Tvedtnes, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed May 2, 2012.
[4] A
Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed May 2, 2012.
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