Chief Captain Moroni defends his armies with the help of protective equipment. His list of protective gear can be seen to have counterparts in the known military gear used in Mesoamerica, even though what we might conjure up, upon hearing a term like “breastplates”, would be different from Mesoamerican protective equipment. Rather than the European fitted metal version, Mesoamerican breastplates were more often wooden and flat, covering only the breast. Arm shields would be smaller shields, perhaps called bucklers in European military terminology. “Shields to defend their heads” indicates some type of head protection without indicating anything about their materials or form. The most interesting term, in verse 19, is “thick clothing.” Even up to the time of the European conquest, quilted “thick clothing” was the primary protective armor. The Spaniards felt that it was actually superior to their metal armor. It appears to have stopped arrows better, and was cooler and more comfortable than metal armor. Many Spanish Conquistadors wore it instead of metal body armor.
Mormon appears to credit Chief Captain Moroni with the invention of this type of protective gear, but it is more likely that Captain Moroni was attempting to distribute this gear to all the army rather than to just the few who might have been well enough off to have provided their own.
Nephite preparation with protective armor is contrasted with the lack of protective armor for Zerahemnah’s armies.