Deliver Up Those Prisoners of War

In the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, recorded in the last part of the book of Alma, there were two instances in which Ammoron sought to get his prisoners back from the Nephites through an exchange. Towards the end of the 28^th year, Helaman recorded what happened on his side of the war (the western front): “And now it came to pass that I received an epistle from Ammoron, the king, stating that if I would deliver up those prisoners of war whom we had taken that he would deliver up the city of Antiparah unto us.” Ammoron wanted to give the city of Antiparah to the Nephites if they would give over their Lamanite prisoners. Helaman described his response: “But I sent an epistle unto the king, that we were sure our forces were sufficient to take the city of Antiparah by our force; and by delivering up the prisoners for that city we should suppose ourselves unwise, and that we would only deliver up our prisoners on exchange.” So Helaman was willing to exchange for Nephite prisoners, but Ammoron refused that: “And Ammoron refused mine epistle, for he would not exchange prisoners; therefore we began to make preparations to go against the city of Antiparah.” Helaman’s wisdom became clear almost immediately: “But the people of Antiparah did leave the city, and fled to their other cities, which they had possession of, to fortify them; and thus the city of Antiparah fell into our hands. And thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the judges” (Alma 57:1-5). So it seems that Ammoron had already decided he was going to give up the city and thought he would try to get some prisoners for it, but Helaman wisely refused and was able to still obtain the city. One of the reasons that Ammoron refused to do an exchange of prisoners may have been that he had killed most of his prisoners on that side of the war and removed far away the ones he kept alive. Helaman recorded that two years earlier, “the Lamanites had also retained many prisoners, all of whom are chief captains, for none other have they spared alive. And we suppose that they are now at this time in the land of Nephi; it is so if they are not slain” (Alma 56:12). So a “man for man” exchange of prisoners perhaps would not have given him many Lamanite prisoners back because they had already killed so many, a fact that may have been well known to Helaman and motivated him to get the better of Ammoron.   

                When an exchange of prisoners failed with Helaman, it appears the Ammoron almost immediately turned to Moroni to try to exchange with him. Helaman and Ammoron’s correspondence took place at the end of the 28^th year, and Ammoron wrote to Moroni (on the eastern front) at the beginning of the next year: “And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners” (Alma 54:1). So having failed with Helaman, and apparently having more prisoners to actually exchange, Ammoron tried the method Helaman had suggested to him and offered an exchange of men. Moroni and Ammoron went back and forth, and ultimately (like Helaman), Moroni decided it was better to take for himself directly what Ammoron had offered. In this case Ammoron was willing to exchange his Nephite prisoners who were in the city of Gid, but Moroni was so upset by Ammoron’s absurd letter trying to justify the war that instead of giving something to Ammoron that the former Nephite desired, Moroni went and took the city by stratagem himself. The Nephites got the Lamanite guards drunk, snuck weapons to their prisoners in the city (which included women and children), and then captured the city the next morning without bloodshed: “He took them prisoners of war, and took possession of the city, and caused that all the prisoners should be liberated, who were Nephites; and they did join the army of Moroni, and were a great strength to his army” (Alma 55:24). Thus both Helaman and Moroni took for themselves the very thing which Ammoron had offered to exchange and gave Ammoron no new support to wage his unjust war against the Nephites. The story highlights I think the wisdom of both Helaman and Moroni and shows they were inspired of the Lord in their choices as they fought this terrible war. It is a reminder to us to seek diligently the Holy Ghost in our decisions as we face our own adversity, for the Lord can likewise help us succeed when we may be tempted to settle for far less.