The loss of their general sends the troops into disarray. In this case, they do not surrender as we have seen before, but their organization is disrupted and the Lamanites are pressing their advantage. Hassig explains the way in which the loss of the identifiable leader would lead to such confusion:
“Sound devices were effective in signaling the armies’ advance, but warriors of each unit entered battle shouting the name of their town and beating their shields with their swords, so such devices were ineffective for maneuvers during the engagement. For that, tall cuachpantli standards were used. Unit leaders wore standards and led their troops into battle. If the cuachpantli bearer was killed or the standard was taken, the unit was thrown into disarray, and the Spaniards reasoned that the Indian warriors fled because losing their standard was an evil omen. Actually, this disarray was caused by more pragmatic considerations. Because the noise and confusion in battle made it impossible to rely on audible commands, sight was used, and the standard, towering above the fray, provided an easy sign indicating where and when the unit was advancing and retreating. Individuals and groups could keep in touch with their main body simply by observing the standard. And though the loss of the standard and the leader carrying it no doubt proved a major psychological blow to the rest of the unit, this setback was secondary to the loss of direction. Without the standard soldiers could not determine where their comrades were going, and they risked being cut off and captured by the enemy. The consternation shown by the army units had real tactical significance, and the loss of the standard-bearer did not mean divine displeasure and lead to dispersion; rather, it disrupted control and blinded the troops.” (Hassig, 1988, p. 96).
While the Book of Mormon battles do not describe such standards, this is precisely the type of detail that Mormon might assume that everyone would know, and not be worth mentioning. What we can tell is that the loss of the leader had the effect of sending the troops into disarray in the Book of Mormon just as Hassig describes. The Book of Mormon troops would have had to cope with the same issues of control in a battle, and it is most likely that we see in this description the circumstantial evidence that allows us to posit the leader as a standard-bearer, just as occurred in the later Aztec military.