Jerry Ainsworth notes that the writings of Mormon and Moroni about events of their day caused him to focus on several statements they made, which, on the surface, seem to contradict one another. Though he viewed these "contradictions" as insignificant, he still felt a need to resolve them in his own mind. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "By proving contraries, truth is made manifest" (History of the Church, 6:428).
According to Ainsworth, one of these contradictions involves Moroni's comment, "my father hath been slain in battle . . ." (Mormon 8:5). Yet after the battle of Cumorah, Mormon records that he was one of only 24 that survived from a Nephite army of 230,000. For the record he states that there were "a few who had escaped into the south countries," and "a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites" (see Mormon 6:10-15). So the question is, Even assuming all twenty-four survivors remained with Mormon, could such a one-sided conflict be called a battle? Even more perplexing is the question of where and when such a battle might have occurred? [Jerry L. Ainsworth, The Lives and Travels of Mormon and Moroni, p. 36]