Zerahemnah saw that Moroni was not equivocal and therefore would not bend himself to the selfish demands made of him by the Lamanites. Zerahemnah became very angry with his opponent, and attempted to kill him. He rushed forward and with his sword raised in angry protest, sought Moroni's life. "But as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni's soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt." We can imagine that many of the Nephite soldiers rushed to Moroni's defense, but this one in particular trained in the strength of battle, was more than equal to the savage attack of Zerahemnah. He also, with one blow, struck off Zerahemnah's scalp and it fell to the earth." Zerahemnah thereupon made a hasty retreat to where his soldiers were gathered en masse.
Almost prophetic was this soldier of Moroni's as he cried to Zerahemnah's men; picking up Zerahemnah's scalp by the long blood-matted hair and placing it upon the point of his sharp sword, shouted, "Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace."
When the Lamanites saw what had taken place, and heard the warning of one of Moroni's bodyguards that they, too, would meet a like fate as did Zerahemnah's scalp if they failed to comply with Moroni's demands, many of them came forward and threw their weapons down at Moroni's feet, and at the same time covenanted with him that they no more would come to battle against his forces as he required that the treaty of peace should provide.