The Lamanite army returned to find Manti in Nephite hands, a development so unexpected that they retreated in disarray “out of all this quarter of the land.” Of course, Helaman does not consider this retreat a final victory; he has simply succeeded in retaking Nephite territory that he must now hold.
Verse 30 adds the information that the Lamanites “carried with them many women and children out of the land.” Who were these women and children, and why would the Lamanites have taken them? Although Mormon provides no further details, I hypothesize that these civilians were carrying the army’s provisions. When Aztec armies were on the march, each soldier carried some provisions, but the military columns were accompanied by many porters carrying more provisions. Probably all able-bodied men were in the army, leaving the women and children as available labor.