Mormon indicates that this is the greatest battle ever between the Lamanites and the Nephites. Indeed, from this point on we will see an increasing militarism from the Lamanites. This increase in militarism is parallel to the increasing emphasis on the cult of war seen among the Maya during this time period, an escalation that continues through the rest of the Book of Mormon period.
Social: At the end of verse 3 we have a victorious people of Nephi returning again to their land. This does not mean that they followed the Lamanites into the land of Nephi and therefore had to return to the land of Zarahemla, but rather that they literally returned to their lands. The Nephite army would be created upon demand, other than a few guards it would not have been a standing army. When the call to arms came, the men would leave their lands and go to war. At the end, the army disbanded, and the men would literally, as the text notes, return to their lands.