Certainly Mormon understood his geography. However, he may well have profited by studying the tactics of his hero, Moroni1, for whom he named his son. Moroni1 had paid particular attention to this narrow pass in defending the Nephites, sending Teancum’s army to head off the people of Morianton there (Alma 50:34) and guard it (Alma 52:9). Although Mormon does not say so, it would not be surprising if he studied his predecessor’s military tactics, much as military men of all nations have studied Sun Tzu’s Art of War, ca. 500 B.C.