At Age 16, Mormon Leads an Army

Another war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites in 325. Though young, I was strong, so the Nephites appointed me to lead their armies. In the year 326, at age sixteen, I led the Nephite army against the Lamanites. In 327, the Lamanites came upon us with such great power that they frightened my army, and we retreated to the north. We came to the city of Angola, took possession of it, and prepared to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. We fortified the city with all our strength, but the Lamanites still drove us out. They also drove us out of the land of David, and we marched to the land of Joshua, near the western seashore. We gathered our people as quickly as possible into one body. But the land was filled with robbers and Lamanites. In spite of the great destruction that hung over my people, they would not repent of their evil doings. Blood and carnage spread throughout all the land among both the Nephites and Lamanites. All the people in the land were in a constant cycle of warfare. The Lamanite king, Aaron, came against us with an army of 44,000. I withstood him with my army of 42,000, and their army ran before us. By the time this war ended, it was 330.

The Nephites began to repent and cry out, as it had been prophesied by Samuel. No one could keep his own property because of the thieves, robbers, murderers, magic arts, and witchcraft in the land. This caused great mourning and lamentation all over the land, especially among the Nephites. When I, Mormon, saw their sorrow before the Lord, my heart began to rejoice, for I knew of the Lord’s mercy and long-suffering. I thought He would be merciful to them, and that they would again become a righteous people. But my joy was vain, for their sorrowing did not bring them to repentance. Theirs was the sorrowing of the damned, for the Lord no longer allowed them to take pleasure in sin. They did not come to Jesus with broken hearts, for they were not truly sorry for their sins. They cursed God and wished to die, yet they fought with the sword for their lives.

My sorrow returned as I realized that their day of grace had passed, both temporally and spiritually, for I saw thousands of them cut down in open rebellion against their God and heaped up like manure over the land. I had witnessed all this by the end of 344.

In 345, the Nephites were chased by the Lamanites to the land of Jashon, near Antum—the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord. About eleven years earlier, I had gone to Shim Hill and had taken the plates of Nephi, and I had engraved on them according to Ammaron’s instructions.

Upon Nephi’s plates, I made a complete account of all the Nephites’ wickedness and sins that I had seen in my youth. But on these, my own plates, I did not make a full record of their wickedness, for I have seen nothing but wickedness ever since I have been old enough to understand the ways of men.

My life has been cursed, and my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness. Yet I know that I will be resurrected at the last day.

During 345, we, the Nephites, were again hunted and driven north to the land of Shem. We fortified the city of Shem and gathered as many people as possible, hoping to save them from destruction.

In 346, the Lamanites came upon us again. Using great energy, I urged my people to stand boldly before them and fight for their wives, children, and homes. My words aroused them enough to keep them from running away from the Lamanites, and they stood boldly against them.

Our army of 30,000 fought the Lamanite army of 50,000 so firmly that they ran from us. We chased them, met them again, and beat them. But the Lord’s strength was not with us, for His Spirit was not in us, and we had become weak like our brethren, the Lamanites.

My heart sorrowed because of my people’s great calamity, but we went against the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers again and again until, by 349, we had retaken our lands of inheritance.

In 350, we made a treaty with the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers to divide our lands of inheritance. The Lamanites gave us the northern land, all the way to the narrow passage that led into the southern land, and we gave them all the southern land.