The Land of Joshua is a location mentioned in the Book of Mormon as a place “in the borders west by the seashore” (Mormon 2:6). It is noted for being the site where Mormon, a notable Nephite leader and the primary compiler of the Book of Mormon record, gathered the Nephite armies to face off against the Lamanites. This location is significant for Mormon as it was where he achieved his first victory as a young military commander. The battle that took place here is chronicled, with Mormon’s strategic and leadership abilities emphasized against the backdrop of the ongoing conflicts between the Nephites and Lamanites around AD 331.
Nestled at the northerly end of a coastal wilderness that stretched from the land of first inheritance to near the narrow neck of land, the Land of Joshua represents a change in Nephite settlement patterns. The broader western coastal region, dense with wilderness and later referred to as a strip lined with forested coastal lowlands and a mountain range, was generally not occupied by Nephites. This area was long considered home only to so-called barbaric Lamanites, with no recorded Nephite settlements until the latter portions of Nephite history when they were forced into retreat. It is within this context that the Nephites, under Mormon’s leadership, temporarily occupied the Land of Joshua as they sought refuge from the aggressive incursions of the Lamanites.