Hugh Nibley
“King Amalickiah had stayed back at his base, confident of a quick and easy victory. ‘He did not care for the blood of his people’ (Alma 49:10)—Moroni actually cared far more for it than he did! ’His chief captains,’ furious at their rebuff at the city of Ammonihah, promptly lunged for the important city of Noah…The only trouble was that thanks to Moroni the city was fortified and waiting, and ‘they were again disappointed’ (Alma 49:13-17). The supreme test of generalship, we are told, is to have the enemy play your game, making just the moves you want him to make under the impression that he is being very smart on his own. Moroni did just that, and the attack on the city of Noah ‘was according to his desires’ (Alma 49:15). He had devised a new and ingenious type of defense for the city gate, which proved a death-trap for the Lamanites…and their savage and repeated assaults on the impregnable gate became simply suicidal, and finally ’their chief captains were all slain; yea, and more than a thousand of the Lamanites were slain’ (Alma 49:21-23).” (Since Cumorah, p. 309)