I find it very interesting that we don't have any record showing Captain Moroni talking with a member of the Godhead similar to how we see Nephi talk with the Holy Ghost or Enos talking with the Lord. And yet, Captain Moroni got answers from God. He understood them and took appropriate action.
In Alma 43:16 we have the first mention of Moroni being the captain of all the armies of the Nephites and in verse 17 it mentions that he was only 25 years old. The use of the word only too me implies that it was unusual for a 25 year old to be in charge of all the armies of the Nephites.
In Alma 43:19-20 we read that Moroni had prepared his soldiers with breastplates, arm-shields, shields to defend their heads, and wearing thick clothing and that the Lamanite army only wore loincloths. This in itself demonstrates Moroni's ability to think and implement new ways to protect and defend the Nephites. It is my opinion that Moroni received inspiration that he should prepare his soldiers this way. He did this after the last dissenters went to the Lamanites and before the current Lamanite army arrived. The Lamanites who had Nephite dissenters leading them had no idea the Nephite army would be wearing armor and because of this they retreated rather than fight.
Captain Moroni stayed in tune with spiritual matters as well as temporal matters both are demonstrated by the following two scriptures found in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 43.
"1 And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth."
"23 But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites."
Moroni had faith that if he sent someone to ask Alma where the Nephite army should go to defend the Nephites that Alma would give him the answer. Moroni had no doubt he would get an answer and so he did get it. Furthermore, Alma was on a mission to preach the gospel and yet there is no mention of Moroni's men having trouble finding him. Too me this means that Moroni knew where Alma was. He was smart enough to know he might need Alma's help and so made sure he knew where in all the cities of the Nephites Alma was or most likely would be. He didn't have time to make mistakes as the armies of the Lamanites were already on the move to where they would try and attack next.
It is quite likely that strategies he used came from hours of pondering and that because of this and his righteousness many ideas came to him through inspiration. And thus in this occasion he was ready to use a strategy to surround the Lamanites and defeat them.
After they left Moroni did not sit around idly waiting for the Lamanites to come again. Again I believe he was inspired on how to build defenses around the cities and through much pondering based on the above mentioned battle he had a pretty good idea that the Lamanites would retreat after seeing the new defenses and so the second place he figured they would go he prepared better than the first.
Here are segments of Alma chapter 48 that describe some of the new defenses and how the Lamanites reacted.
"4 ...the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance."
In verse 6 we read that the Lamanites had a numerous army and had copied the Nephites and were now wearing armor just like the Nephites. And so the Lamanites had thought they would be able to do whatever they wanted.
"7 But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they (the Nephites) were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni."
It is possible that Moroni had access to records that may have described fortifications and army and tactics but that assumes that such was brought by Lehi and his family when they left Jerusalem. I believe any such record, such as the brass plates and/or the plates of Nephi, simply talked about such things without giving detail about how they were made and the Lamanites were unlikely to know anything about that unless Laman or Lemuel had bothered to tell them which they probably did not.
And so the armies of the Lamanites retreated when they saw how Moroni had fortified the city of Ammonihah. It must not have occurred to the Lamanites that Moroni would expend the same amount if not more effort to prepare all the Nephite cities with the same fortifications and so the Lamanites went to the next city they thought would be easy to take, the city of Noah.
Moroni, in addition to making the fortifications at Noah better than at Ammonihah did something else to help this city. He stationed Lehi to command all the soldiers in the city of Noah. In verse 16 -17 we see the wisdom in this.
"16 And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that same Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east of the river Sidon."
"17 And now behold it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city they were again disappointed for they feared Lehi exceedingly..."
This act demoralized the Lamanites and at the same time bolstered the courage of the troops in the city of Noah. Obviously the Lamanites that Moroni allowed to leave with an oath of peace after the battle in the valley near the river Sidon had not only spoken about Moroni but also Lehi. And the Nephites in the city of Noah would surely know that they were commanded by a leader, Lehi, who had fought and defeated a huge Lamanite army. They knew he would do the same again.
All of the above examples to me show and go beyond the words in the scriptures that describe Moroni. These things show that Captain Moroni trusted in the Lord, he knew how to get answers when he needed them, and he never hesitated to use the information once he got it. On numerous occasions Captain Moroni received inspiration and he even sought Alma, the prophet, for help in getting knowledge to help him defend the Nephites. I would be perfectly happy with such means of communication which I do get from time to time, if I could always understand such divine messages.
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