General Hawthorne

General John Hawthorne is the leader of the Forward Command in the Southern Barrens and an Alliance quest giver.

When scouts reported that Taurajo's most dangerous units were out on the hunt he ordered the sacking Camp Taurajo, despite it being a 'soft target' he recognized that the camp had been used to recruit, equip, and train Horde infantry for many years. During the attack he ordered his men to leave a gap open in the line so the citizens of Taurajo may escape, and despite this some civilian casualties did occur. Hawthorne also ordered Wildhammer mercenaries to firebomb the village. Following this there are those in the Horde that refers to Hawthorne as the "The Butcher of Taurajo" due to his actions being perceived as the intentional killing of civilians.

There are those that ended up in his ranks who are non-violent criminals recruited from the Stormwind Stockades, following Alliance policy. He discovered that some had broke ranks to loot the ruins, which among other things, he considered disrespectful. He had an adventurer arrest several; others witnessed this and crawled back to him, requesting clemency. He had them thrown into the brig at Northwatch Hold to let them stew for a bit.

After some initial interactions with the adventurer, he sends them off to Fort Triumph and says he will travel there himself separately. After this, he is killed in the Horde quest The Butcher of Taurajo. His corpse was later retrieved and is found in Fort Triumph, being mourned by his widowed wife, Clarice Hawthorne.

High Chieftain of the tauren, Baine Bloodhoof, believed that Camp Taurajo was a legitimate military target and Hawthorne carried out the attack best he could.

• A Line in the Dirt (Alliance)
• Clap 'Em In Irons
• Fields of Blood (quest)
• Meet Me at Triumph

• The Butcher of Taurajo

• Initial gossip
• What is your name, ? ?
• Welcome to the Barrens. You are standing at the vanguard of our most important operations on this continent. I would be honored if you were to lend us your strength.

• Ah yes, our assault on the Horde town of Taurajo. I struggled with the implications of the decision.

• Taurajo was admittedly what you might call a 'soft target,' primarily a hunters' camp. Still, it had been used to recruit, equip, and train Horde infantry for many years.

• When our scouts reported that Taurajo's most dangerous units were out on the hunt, we had to act quickly.

• <Hawthorne wrinkles his brow.>

• I would prefer not to use the term 'sacked,' but yes, the attack went off flawlessly. We removed Taurajo from the equation, confiscated its arms, and destroyed its smithing facilities. The assault gave our forces considerable breathing room and knocked the enemy off balance.

• Nonetheless, during the assault, I instructed my men to leave a gap open in our lines...

• Taurajo had a significant civilian population. I wanted to ensure that they could escape the fighting, and many did, finding refuge in the north.

• There are some, even in Alliance High Command, who argued that I let an opportunity slip away. That I should've taken hostages. But I don't see the value in those sort of terror-tactics.

• Hear me out, : I want this war to end someday. It won't ever stop if we butcher or imprison civilians.

• I just pray that there are those on the other side who see things as I do.

I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate your aid,. We are not fighting beasts out here, but a foe both cunning and fanatical. We must stick together or hang separately.

• Gossip during quests

Any savage can win a war. The true hero aims not merely for victory on the battlefield, but to attain a lasting peace after the final arrow falls.

• Gossip during Clap 'Em In Irons

You're doing incredible work here in the Barrens,.

• Gossip after Clap 'Em In Irons

With the help of heroes like you, we can secure Kalimdor, and in doing so ensure a lasting peace in our homelands.

Considering he wears the Theramore Tabard, and his wife says that she came to the Barrens from Theramore, they may have been citizens of Theramore.