According to the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

, Teancum () was a

Nephite In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites () are one of four groups (along with the Lamanites, Jaredites, and Mulekites) said to have settled in the ancient Americas. The term is used throughout the Book of Mormon to describe the religious, poli ...

military leader. He is described in the

Book of Alma The Book of Alma: The Son of Alma (), usually referred to as the Book of Alma, is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Alma the Younger, a prophet and "chief judge" of the Nephites. Alma is the longest book in the ...

between Alma 50:35 and Alma 62:40 (inclusive). According to LDS teachings, he is known for the assassinations of King

Amalickiah In the Book of Mormon, Amalickiah () was a Nephite dissenter. His first appearance in the text is as a political dissident with aspirations to re-establish a monarchy. Later, after seizing the Lamanite throne, Amalickiah led a war to enslave the ...

and the subsequent assassination of Amalickiah's brother,

Ammoron :''Ammoron should not be confused with Amaron, Ammaron, Amoron, or Moron (Book of Mormon) three other Book of Mormon figures with similar names.'' According to the Book of Mormon, Ammoron () was a Nephite traitor. A descendant of Zoram, he succee ...

, seven years later. The Book of Mormon states that in time he proved to be a great chief captain in the Nephite army.

Narrative

Operations against Morianton and Amalickiah

Teancum first appears as one of

Captain Moroni According to the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni was an important Nephite military commander who lived during the first century BC. He is first mentioned in the Book of Alma as "the chief captain over the Nephites." Captain Moroni is presented as ...

's subordinates. When

Morianton's maidservant Morianton's maidservant is an unnamed woman mentioned in the Book of Mormon, a religious text of the Latter Day Saint Movement. In the Book of Mormon narrative, Morianton is a Nephite insurrectionist. After he cruelly beats his maidservant, sh ...

informs Moroni about the plans of Morianton and his separatist army, Teancum leads an army to intercept Morianton. Teancum successfully kills Morianton, halting their attempt to colonize the region to the north. Teancum then pacifies the people of Morianton before returning to Moroni. His next action in the text is to engage

's coastal campaign. After fighting the Lamanite army to a standstill, Teancum and an unnamed servant enter the

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

and

kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Other common uses include: *Kill (body of water), a body of water, most commonly a creek *Kill (command), a computing command *K ...

Amalickiah with a

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

just before the New Year.

Siege and Capture of Mulek

Following the death of Amalickiah and the subsequent Lamanite retrenchment, Teancum is assigned to assault the city of Mulek. Upon arrival, he concludes that it is too well fortified to attack without reinforcements. Upon the arrival of Moroni and fellow

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Lehi, Teancum participates in a meeting to devise an appropriate plan of attack. After Jacob the Zoramite, the commander of the Mulek occupation force, refuses an invitation to open battle, Moroni devises a "decoy and ambush" strategem. Teancum sets out to bait the Mulekites, successfully drawing them into a chase north, with Lehi waiting at the city of Bountiful. With the bulk of Lamanite forces pursuing Teancum, Moroni darts in, seizes the city, and then pursues the Lamanites. When Teancum and Lehi join forces, the Lamanites retreat, pursued by Teancum and Lehi. Eventually, Moroni's

pincer movement The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a maneuver warfare, military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanking maneuver, flanks (sides) of an enemy Military organization, formation. This classic maneuver has been im ...

envelopes the Lamanites, leading Jacob to attempt to cut his way through Moroni's army to escape. In the ensuing battle, Jacob is killed, Moroni is wounded, and there are heavy casualties on both sides. Teancum then coordinates the use of Lamanite

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

to construct fortifications for the city of Bountiful.

Final Campaign

Teancum reappears as one of the co-commanders of the eastern theatre during Moroni's absence to reinstate Pahoran as chief judge. Upon Moroni's return to the front, Teancum coordinates with him and Lehi to drive Lamanite forces to the city of Moroni. The city of Moroni hosted the bulk of the Lamanite military, as well as

, the king of the Lamanites and brother of the deceased Amalickiah. During the siege, Teancum angrily decides to kill Ammoron, just like he had killed Amalickiah. Teancum infiltrates the city of Moroni, finding Ammoron sleeping. He then throws a javelin at Ammoron, inflicting a mortal wound but allowing him to alert his Lamanite guards. The guards overtake and kill Teancum. In the morning, upon hearing of the death of Teancum, Moroni orders an attack on the city of Moroni. The Nephites defeat the Lamanite occupiers, ending the war.

Notes

Works cited

* *{{Cite book , last=Thomas , first=John Christopher , title=A Pentecostal Reads the Book of Mormon: A Literary and Theological Introduction , publisher=CPT Press , year=2016 , isbn=9781935931553

External links

Teancum
- Book of Mormon index entry *

on the wikisource website Book of Mormon people