Fort Saunders, a pro-slavery stronghold in the Border War (q. v.), was located on Washington creek, about 12 miles southwest of the city of Lawrence, and was nothing more than a well built log cabin belonging to a pro-slavery settler named Saunders. In the summer of 1856 it was the rendezvous and headquarters of a body of pro-slavery men, commanded by a Col. Treadwell, engaged in plundering and harassing the free-state settlers. Saunders had a corn crusher, and on Aug. 11, 1856, Maj. S. D. Hoyt, a free-state man, made an excuse to visit the fort to get a sack of corn crushed, but at the same time to see if some arrangement could not be reached with Col. Treadwell to stop the depredations of his gang. Hoyt was regarded as a spy, and on his return he was brutally murdered. Appeals to the United States troops to break up the rendezvous were made in vain, the commanding officers saying they could not act without orders, and these the territorial authorities refused to issue. After the murder of Hoyt the citizens took matters in hand. On Aug. 15 a body of free-state men, under command of Lane and Grover, advanced upon the fort, but their movement was discovered and Treadwell and his men fled. Fort Saunders was then burned to the ground.