6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people.. and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.
They named an
entire land after a
small hill called Cumorah.
10 And it came to pass that my men were hewn down, yea, even my ten thousand who were with me, and I fell wounded in the midst; and they passed by me that they did not put an end to my life.
11 And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah,..
Note that [i] all this could be viewed from their vantage point atop the hill Cumorah.
..the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.
12 And we also beheld the ten thousand of my people who were led by my son Moroni.
13 And behold, the ten thousand of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and he also in the midst.
14 And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten thousand each.
15 And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me, and also a few who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites, had fallen; and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth.
(Book of Mormon | Mormon 6:6 - 15)
Did the Lamanites dispose of the Nephite dead? No, they
left them
on the face of the earth to molder and crumble. This does not mean they stacked them and painstakingly covered them with dirt.
Did the 24 Nephites bury their dead? I don't think so. The survivors most likely had only one focus on their mind:
2 And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed.
(Book of Mormon | Mormon 8:2)
There is no reference to the dead of the lamanites. But it is reasonable to believe that their loss was substantial as well.
Since there is only evidence to the contrary, it would be assumed that all the remains would be found (Nephite as well as Lamanite) within eyeshot of the hill. Poking a shovel in anywhere in that "land" should get you remains.
Let me put this into perspective, only 140 souls were slaughtered near Mountain Meadows. What were the odds of accidently uncovering some of their remains when prepping the ground to erect a small monument?
Throw me a friggen bone (well, at least a couple zillion anyway).
nice, substantive thread, PP -