the regiment,"that most gentlemanly Federal officer." After sacking and burning the fort and destroying all the regiment's books and papers, the Confederates hurriedly left Union City with their prisoners. The Union enlisted men walked four abreast with the Confederate guard in a single file on each side. Under a light rain, the men marched about sixteen miles to Gardners's Station, where they camped for the night. Two officers, including Colonel Hawkins' son, escaped during the night. Later during the trip south, five more Union Officers escaped. At least some of the officers violated their parole of honor by doing so. This made General Forrest so furious that he made Colonel Hawkins and the other officers walk for a time in ankle deep mud. Leaving Gardner's Station at daybreak, the men marched to Trenton, arriving there on the 26th of March. Their captors gave them almost nothing to eat during the trip but they were able to buy biscuits for five dollars per dozen and baked chickens for five dollars each from the people of Trenton. It was fortunate they could spend some of their money. On the next day the Confederate soldiers took them into the courthouse and robbed them. Since the men had recently been paid their back pay, the captors were able to take a sizeable amount of money from them as well as other personal articles. Even Colonel Hawkins lost his saddle bags, extra clothes, and blanket around this time. Colonel Hawkins protested the robberies to Colonel Duckwork. Duckworth said that Forrest's men were responsible and that he would put his own men on guard to stop them. When the thefts continued, Hawkins again protested to Duckworth and was told that an account was being taken of the money involved and that it would be returned. Both sides sometimes confiscated money from prisoners in order to prevent bribery. The money would then be given back to its owner in small amounts at the prison or in a lump sum when the priso...
