Mormon 6:15 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
and a few which had [deserted 1PST|dissented ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOQR] over unto the Lamanites

As discussed under Alma 46:27, the correct reading here in Mormon 6:15 is dissented, not deserted. The original manuscript very likely read desented, which is how Oliver Cowdery (the presumed scribe here in 𝓞) wrote dissented. Scribe 2 of 𝓟 appears to have misread desented as deserted. In the Book of Mormon text, people dissent but lands are deserted.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 6

References