Thread:TheWabbajackX/@comment-37690679-20200121083636/@comment-26581666-20200121101956

Tides of War didn't retcon it, it was already well established.

The Alliance side quests in the Southern Barrens set up that Hawthorne purposely left his lines open to allow the civilians to escape, while those who are found dead were murdered by the deserters you're sent to kill/arrest in the village during the quests.