The trap is sprung. We have Mormon painting the picture of an army of Lamanites who are afraid and begging for their lives. It is possible that this happened, but much more likely that this is a literary conceit of Mormon. We know that Mormon has recently described a Lamanite army that Moroni surrounded, and the reaction of that army was hardly to lay down arms and cry for mercy. The difference between the two examples we have of surrounded Lamanite armies is instructive. Both are in a militarily difficult position. The army that Moroni surrounds fights ferociously. This surrounded army whines and begs.
The descriptions simply don’t seem to fit. The real difference is not the sudden lack of courage on the part of the Lamanites, but rather the position of the commander. The army that Moroni surrounds has a leader who fights and leads them. The army surrounded by Lehonti has a leader that has already given up and changed sides. It is that event that ended the conflict, not the supposed lack of courage on the part of the Lamanite army. We may forgive Mormon for his literary poke at his enemies, but we need not consider it historical information.