How did Joseph Smith describe the Hill Cumorah in which he dug up the gold plates?
"Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, stands a hill of considerable size, and the most elevated of any in the neighborhood."
Thus, in Smith's mind the Hill Cumorah was large enough to have an effect or important enough to rank as a fairly large or at least medium size hill. But really, it doesn't look very large. And, that my friends is about what we might expect from the hills mentioned in Smith's novel -- hills that are somewhat like Cumorah in New York. What does that tell you about how Smith viewed the landscape? How hardly did he discuss mountains! Nope, better not do that.
The use of the word "considerable" in this instance implies that Cumorah is not a small hill. Here is another example when smith uses the word considerable in the narrative in order to give the impression that it's a fairly large amount from a certain perspective:
"And it came to pass that we did flee before them, northward. And thus we did lead away the most powerful army of the Lamanites; Yea, even to a considerable distance, insomuch that when they saw the army of Antipus pursuing them, with their might, they did not turn to the right nor to the left, but pursued their march in a straight course after us; and, as we suppose, it was their intent to slay us before Antipus should overtake them, and this that they might not be surrounded by our people."
So what is my point? (If Dr. Shades is reading this, he's definitely wondering)
My point is that the Hill Cumorah was the place in which Mormon and Moroni hid up their records and fought the wars that led to the ultimate destruction of the Nephites. It was the Hill Cumorah in New York State, a hill of considerable size, in which the Nephites perished. There is absolutely nothing in the Book of Mormon or direct statements made by Smith & Cowdery that could lead anyone to think otherwise.
