The Gadianton battle attire is different from previous descriptions of Lamanite battle attire, except in the shaving of the heads. The shaving of the heads we have seen before, and noted previously that it may be related to the Mesoamerican cultural indication of capture which was grabbing the hair of the victim. A shaved head would indicate a willingness to die rather than be captured.
The new aspect of the Gadianton battle attire was the wearing of an animal skin about the loins. Since there were no sheep in Mesoamerica, the term “lamb-skin” must fall into the same category of anomalous descriptors as do horses and cattle. However, the practice of wearing an animal skin was well attested in Mesoamerica, though the animal would typically be a jaguar rather than anything so peaceful as a “lamb.” The dying in blood is not specifically known, but the entire purpose of war regalia in Mesoamerica was present a visually terrifying spectacle, so this would certainly have been a plausible Mesoamerican battle ploy.
One of the additions to the military garb is the head-plate. While the hair might be shorn, the head was protected with whatever is indicated by a “head-plate.” Since Moroni’s innovations in defensive military attire, those innovations have become commonplace among all other armies mentioned in the Book of Mormon.