Josh was a Nephite military leader renowned for his command during one of the most pivotal moments in Nephite history. His tenure as a general came at a time when the Nephite nation was engaged in a cataclysmic struggle for survival against the Lamanites. Josh is specifically remembered for his leadership during the battle of Cumorah, a fierce and definitive conflict that took place around AD 385.
At this fateful encounter, Josh stood among the ranks of the Nephite generals tasked with the defense of their people and their way of life. He, like his fellow commanders, led a division of ten thousand soldiers into battle. Tragically, all of the Nephite forces were overwhelmed by the might of the opposing Lamanite armies. In this last great battle, Josh, alongside his ten thousand troops, was slain, marking the end of the Nephite military’s resistance and effectively sealing the fate of the Nephite nation (Mormon 6:14). His death, occurring alongside other renowned leaders and their divisions, completed the tragic narrative of the fallen Nephite people at the close of the Book of Mormon’s historical account.