Angry, Moroni Makes a Plan

When Moroni received Ammoron’s second letter, he became angrier than before, knowing that Ammoron, a Zoramite Nephite dissenter, was perfectly aware of his own fraud—aware that his own reasons for waging war against the Nephites were not just. Moroni exclaimed, “We will not exchange prisoners with Ammoron unless he withdraws his armies, as I stated to him in my letter, for I will not give him more men than he already has. I know where the Lamanites guard our people whom they have taken prisoner. Because Ammoron will not do what I have asked him, I will give him what I said I would. I will seek their death until they beg for peace.”

Then Moroni searched among his men to find a descendant of Laman. A pure Lamanite was found, named Laman. He was one of the Lamanite king’s servants who had run away after Amalickiah’s servant had stabbed the king. Moroni sent Laman and a few of his men to the city of Gid, where the Nephite prisoners were being held.

At night, Laman walked up to the men guarding the Nephites. When they saw him coming they called out, but Laman shouted, “No need to fear, I’m a Lamanite. We escaped from the Nephites as they slept, and we took their wine with us.”

When the Lamanites heard this, they received Laman with joy, saying, “Give us some wine! We’re glad you brought it, for we are weary.” But Laman replied, “Let’s save it until we go and fight the Nephites.” This only made the Lamanites want it more. They said, “We’re so weary, so let’s drink it now! We’ll get more wine in our rations to strengthen us when we fight the Nephites.” Laman replied, “Do as you wish.”

Then they drank freely. The wine had been prepared extra strong, and it was good tasting, so the Lamanites drank it even more freely, and all became very drunk. After they had all passed out, Laman returned to Moroni and told him what had happened.

Things were going according Moroni’s plan, and he prepared his men with weapons and went to the city of Gid. While the Lamanites were in a deep, drunken sleep, he and his men threw weapons in to the prisoners. The Nephite women and even all the children who were able to use a weapon were armed. All this was done in complete silence.

Even if they had awakened the Lamanites, they could have easily killed them, for they were all drunk. But this was not Moroni’s intention. He did not delight in murder or bloodshed, but in saving his people from destruction. He had obtained his desire to arm the prisoners, giving them the power to take back their city from within. He had his men step back from the drunken guards and surround them.

In the morning, when the Lamanites awoke, they saw that they were surrounded by Nephites, and that their prisoners were armed from within the city walls. Realizing that the Nephites now had power over them, they did not fight. Their chief captains demanded their weapons, brought them to the feet of the Nephites, and pled for mercy. This is what Moroni wanted. He took them as prisoners of war, and then took possession of the city. He had liberated the Nephite prisoners, and many of them joined and strengthened his army.

Moroni put the Lamanite prisoners to work strengthening the fortifications around the city of Gid. After Gid was fortified, Moroni sent his prisoners to Bountiful, which was guarded by a very large Nephite force. In spite of the Lamanites’ plots, the Nephites kept and protected all their prisoners and maintained the advantage in all the places they had retaken. The Nephites began to be victorious by reclaiming their rights and privileges.

Many times the Lamanites tried to surround them at night, but during these attempts, many Lamanite prisoners were killed. Many times the Lamanite armies tried to give their wine to the Nephites, to poison them or make them drunk. But the Nephites remembered the Lord their God during their time of affliction, and they could not be tricked. They did not drink wine from the Lamanites until first giving some of it to Lamanite prisoners. The Nephites were careful not to be poisoned by the Lamanites’ wine, for if it would poison a Lamanite, it would poison a Nephite.

Soon it became necessary for Moroni to prepare to attack the city of Morianton, for the Lamanites had fortified that city and had made it into a great stronghold. The Lamanites were continually bringing new forces, supplies, and provisions into Morianton. And this is how 63 BC ended.