In the commencement of the twenty and ninth year, Ammoron sent Moroni an epistle desiring to exchange prisoners. According to the epistle that Moroni sent to Ammoron (Alma 54:4-14), Moroni declared that if Ammoron did not choose to "withdraw," he would "come against you with my armies." Moroni also proposed a plan for prisoner exchange. Upon receiving Moroni's epistle, Ammoron became angry and wrote another epistle to Moroni rejecting his request (Alma 54:15-24). Therefore Moroni devised a plan to retrieve the Nephite prisoners from the hands of the Lamanites. According to Alma 55:4-22, from Moroni's unknown location (somewhere between the city of Mulek and the city of Gid), and during the "night-time" (a time period apparently from evening to dawn):
(1) Moroni's wine-carrying party went to the city of Gid;
(2) Waited to observe the guards to get drunk and go to sleep;
(3) Returned to report; and then
(4) The Nephite army came quietly to the city of Gid; and
(5) They lowered weapons over the wall to the prisoners; and
(6) They surrounded the city.
According to John Sorenson, five miles seems to be the maximum distance involved to manage this (Source Book, p. 274).