My Father In Heaven And His Son Jesus Christ, The Prophet Joseph Smith, CAPTAIN MORONI Who was Captain Moroni? Captain Moroni lived around 74 BC somewhere around what is now known as Central America. When Moroni was only 24 years old, he was assigned to be the military leader of the Nephites. He was an unabashed defender of Liberty. He appealed to sense and decency when he could, and military might and strategy if that failed. He relied most heavily on appealing to the moral integrity which he felt should be inherent in all societies.
Long after Moroni's death, a great prophet named Mormon would write of me, "And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. ... Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God." Mormon even gave his own son my name--Moroni. "And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon hi brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land."