Premodern Warfare

The eleven chapters in this lesson continue the lengthy coverage given by Mormon to the seven years of war at the end of the Book of Alma, spanning the 25^th to the 31^st years of the reign of judges. Mormon puts on display here three of his areas of expertise: (1) as abridger, he masterfully understands and selects from the records that he had at hand and straightforwardly narrates the main storylines, (2) as prophet and spiritual leader of his own struggling generation, he conveys meaningful messages that he knew would be pertinent and memorable for his future readers in their times of need, and (3) as commander in chief of the total Nephite nation at war, he displays his firsthand expertise in all areas of the order of battle in premodern times, that is, how military conflict was carried out in the world before the invention of gunpowder.

Much has been written about the multiple subjects involved with warfare in these chapters. Two of the scholars who have most effectively led the charge in this area and have helped us understand this subject literally from the ground up are Hugh Nibley and Bill Hamblin. Nibley served throughout World War II, carrying out strategic duties in Army Intelligence. In this capacity, he studied the vast records of military history from ancient to modern times. It is not an exaggeration to say that he found everywhere repeated confirmations of the reality of Mormon’s war chapters. His story is told by his son Alex in the book Sergeant Nibley, and by his son-in-law Boyd Peterson in the biography, Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life. Both books are nigh to impossible to put down.

Bill Hamblin, with a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, was a cultural historian who drew extensively from every kind of subject imaginable dealing with warfare, anywhere in the world, before the Middle Ages. His works on weapons, armor, fortifications, and military tactics offer readers an expert tool kit for getting a handle on truly comprehending the brutal costs of armed conflict in the ancient world. Hamblin was instrumental in organizing a large symposium at BYU in 1989 on warfare in the Book of Mormon, which resulted in the publication of a book and several subsequent articles, dealing with everything from the purposes and importance of warfare in the Book of Mormon, to military policies and leadership, the sacred aspects of “holy war,” the legal aspects of martial law, the weapons, logistics, weather, and geography of the conduct of military engagement.

For example, there are seventeen instances of particular or extensive warfare in the Book of Mormon, each with identifiable dates, locations, causes, tactics, and outcomes. Throughout these conflicts we learn of:

• the sacral nature of consulting with omens and prophets before going to war
• the need for purity, covenants, and ritual preparations for battle
• one-on-one stand-offs between leaders themselves
• the elevation of heroes who excel and who become essential role models
• the use of sacred implements, such as the sword of Laban
• the duty of all able-bodied men to serve
• tribal affiliations and organizing roles
• the perpetuation of the military arts by a military caste
• numbering the men, and almost putting women under arms (Alma 54:12; 55:17)
• granting limited exemptions and requiring alternative forms of service
• the use of mercenaries and the formation of alliances
• the compulsion of subjugated people to support the war effort
• the array of enemies, including formal armies, bandits, robbers, and rebels
• personal weapons, slings, stones, bows, arrows, clubs and slashing handheld weapons
• suspension of judicial process and legal rights during times of extreme crisis (Alma 51:19)
• the powers of captains and chief captains
• restrictions on the freedom of travel during seasons of war
• warnings and exchanging of taunts, and offers of peace
• fortifications, walls, stone and earthen embankments
• geographical constraints and targeted significance
• seasonality of war during specific months, probably due to weather
• daytime engagements only, as the normal rule
• ethical problems with the use of stratagems
• taking captives, and what to do with them
• releasing captives, usually with an oath
• the prominent use of religious rituals, regularly seeking divine intervention and protection
• prohibitions against taking personal plunder or booty (Mosiah 2:13)
• the importance of new innovations and improvements in military technology
• counting the troops, and knowing how to deploy them effectively
• feeding the troops, and the need for large-scale farming
• moving the troops, the need for roads and local knowledge of the terrain
• commanding the troops and maintaining order and loyalty
• tense interactions between the officers in the field and the political leaders at home   
• burying the dead
• the economic costs and public health consequences of war
• grudges and irreconcilable enmity between certain leaders, leading to prolonged eras of intense militarization among competitors for power and control
• wars of extermination, and the annihilation of opposing populations

All of this extensive coverage is fairly astonishing. Whoever wrote the Book of Mormon basically knew everything a person would need to know in order to conduct warfare in the ancient world. Here we see accurate reports reflecting the complexities and developments of premodern warfare. Embedded in these records are deliberate decisions expertly made according to proven and professionally standard best practices. Warfare as reported in Mormon’s record comports with the military practices developed and used in major civilizations in the pre-technical world prior to the times of gunpowder, rifles, canons, and before all the changes that came with them.

Through the intense examination of vast libraries of ancient historical records and numerous new archaeological discoveries, the patterns and practices of ancient warfare are better understood today than ever before. And there may well be much more yet to come. By the use of the new LiDAR technology in just the last few years, archaeologists now know more than anyone could previously imagine about the prolonged eras of intense militarization among competitors for power and control two millennia ago in Central America among the Maya and their neighbors.

Further Reading

William J. Hamblin, “Warfare in the Book of Mormon,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon: Insights You May Have Missed Before, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1991), 241–248.

William J. Hamblin, “The Importance of Warfare in Book of Mormon Studies,” in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins, ed. Noel B. Reynolds (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1997), 523–543.

Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, eds., Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Provo and Salt Lake City, UT: FARMS and Deseret Book, 1990).

Alex Nibley and Hugh Nibley, Sergeant Nibley: Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle (Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain, 2006).

Boyd J. Peterson, Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life (Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 2002).