Alma arms himself with a small righteous army for this particular battle. It is interesting that he proceeds on this missionary journey with many more people than he took on the tour a few years earlier. This time he brings spiritual powerful allies, the sons of Mosiah, Amulek and the converted Zeezrom, and also two of his own sons.
The presence of Zeezrom in this group is significant. We first met Zeezrom in Ammonihah as the lawyer who contends with Alma and Amulek. The result of that episode was Zeezrom’s conversion (Alma 15:10-12). From the time of his baptism, Zeezrom taught the gospel (Alma 15:12. And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.)
Considering the company he is in on the way to Antionum, Zeezrom must have become not only faithful, but a powerful force for the gospel. It may be that Alma wants this particular group of men not only for their strength in the gospel, but for their past outside of it. Other than his sons, the rest of the men in this party had been outside the gospel at some point in their lives, with the possible exception of Amulek, who had nevertheless lived in a city with Nehorite teachings.