John Duff, born John McElduff, or John Michael McElduff, because early court records referred to him as John Michael Duff (September 1759 or August 1760 – June 4, 1799 or 1805), was a counterfeiter, criminal gang leader, horse thief, cattle thief, hog thief, salt maker, longhunter, scout, and soldier who assisted in

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot military officer on the American frontier, nort ...

's campaign to capture the

Illinois country The Illinois Country ( ; ; ), also referred to as Upper Louisiana ( ; ), was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s that later fell under Spanish and British control before becoming what is now part of the Midwestern United States. Whi ...

for the American rebel side during the Revolutionary War.

Early life and family history

John Michael McElduff was born sometime between September 1759 and August 1760 in the British

Province of South Carolina The Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies i ...

, according to his court testimony in August 1781, where he claimed to be 21 years old. John's father may have been the Thomas McElduff murdered by Philip McElduff, a brother, of Thomas, some time prior to November 1761. His mother later remarried, and his stepfather moved the family to the Natchez District,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

region of the colony of

British West Florida British West Florida was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1763 until 1783, when it was ceded to Kingdom of Spain, Spain as part of the Peace of Paris (1783), Peace of Paris. British West Florida comprised parts of the modern U.S ...

, on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, prior to the start of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. McElduff is believed to be a grandson of a Thomas McElduff, Sr., who received two land grants for military service in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

on the south side of the Tyger River, in

Union County, South Carolina Union County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,244. Its county seat is Union, South Carolina, Union. The county was created i ...

on February 7, 1754.

American Revolutionary War service and life in the Illinois Country

Around 1778, Duff was living in the Illinois Country, later referred to as the " American Bottom." While leading a group of longhunters returning to

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

, John Duff, John Saunders, and the rest of the hunting party were intercepted by Colonel George Rogers Clark's soldiers and his Virginia frontiersmen soldiers, near the ruins of

Fort Massac Fort Massac (or Fort Massiac) is a French colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States. Its site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. History The Spanish explorer ...

. Suspected of being British spies, they immediately took an American

oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

, where Duff and his men joined Clark's Illinois Regiment, Virginia State Forces. Duff enlisted into Captain John Williams' Company in

Cahokia Cahokia Mounds ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. L ...

and rose to the rank of sergeant in the Illinois Regiment. In 1780, while Duff was posted with the garrison in Cahokia, a British force attacked St. Louis, which was under colonial Spanish rule, and American-held Cahokia in 1780, with a motley army of British Loyalists composed of French-Canadiens, fur traders, and their Indian allies. McElduff and other soldiers were on

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

, for General Clark, observing the British movements, near the Mississippi River. The group was attacked by an Indian war party, barely escaping with their lives. The combined American, French, and Spanish forces successfully repelled the enemy assaults. In the George Rogers Clark Papers and Illinois court records, Duff was referred to both as "John McElduff" and "John McDuff." In the mid-late 1780s, Duff was living in Kaskaskia, Illinois and was in business with two brothers of the captain of the Ohio County,

Virginia Militia The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the English militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulso ...

and Revolutionary War Patriot, Samuel Mason who later became the notorious river pirate. According to the French Kaskaskia records, the Duff name was recorded as, "Jean Michel Duff" and "John Michael Duff." In 1786, John, Daniel, and another son of Thomas McElduff sold land tracts for two different property deeds. There was a Daniel McElduff and McDuff who was also at Kaskaskia in the 1780s and was likely the brother of John Duff. When the McElduffs first arrived, the pre-American Revolution, British-controlled, French-speaking settlement of Kaskaskia was not recorded. Daniel McDuff owned slaves while residing in Kaskaskia, as was the custom of transplanted Southerners and the French creole population in the Illinois Country. After the departure of the bandit John Dodge, who lived in the area from 1784 to 1790, John McElduff was elected, in 1790, as one of six

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

s, to the Kaskaskia town court. According to the French records, on February 6, 1794, John McElduff and Seddy, his wife, sold a dwelling and grounds in Kaskaskia Village, to J.R. Jones for $200; (~$ in ) this Jones may have been John Rice Jones, a politician and Illinois Regiment veteran.

Counterfeiting at Cave-In-Rock, Northwest Territory and in Kentucky

After 1790, John Duff was associated with the

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

counterfeiter,

Philip Alston Philip Geoffrey Alston is an Australian international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, and co-chair of the law school's Center for Human Rights and Globa ...

, the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

river pirate, Samuel Mason, and the

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

serial killers the

Harpe brothers Micajah "Big" Harpe, born Joshua Harper (before 1768 – August 24, 1799), and Wiley "Little" Harpe, born William Harper (before 1770 – February 8, 1804), were American murderers, highwaymen and river pirates who operated in Tennessee, Kentu ...

, at Cave-in-Rock, in the U.S. Northwest Territory, where he learned the illicit business of counterfeiting, known as " coining", where he could make a lot money in criminal pursuits. By this time, he had left the historical record and from this point on, he was referred to in folklore as, just Duff or "Duff the Counterfeiter." Even as a counterfeiter, John Duff was not a violent man by nature, and he was never known to have killed anyone. Whether or not John McElduff and his wife left Kaskaskia permanently after 1794 is not known, but folklore mentioned John Duff, as owning a slave named Pompey and tales of his miraculously avoiding numerous attempts at capture and death from local regulator

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

s and the U.S. Army.

Death

For nearly a decade, Duff had become a scourge along the lower Ohio River region. On June 4, 1799, a group of three

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

Indians and a French courier du bois were hired by U.S. Army officer, Captain Zebulon Pike, Sr., father of the

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

Zebulon Pike, who was the commandant at the frontier outpost Fort Massac, now

Metropolis, Illinois Metropolis is a city and the county seat in Massac County, Illinois, United States. It is located by the Ohio River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,969, down from 6,537 in 2010 United States census, 2 ...

. This mercenary party was given orders to kill John Duff, which they did at his house, which was located either at Battery Rock, according to the newspaper account, on the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

side of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

or across the river at what would later become

Caseyville, Kentucky Caseyville is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Union County, Kentucky, Union County, Kentucky, United States. Caseyville is located on the Ohio River and Kentucky Route 1508, west of Sturgis, Kentucky, Sturgis. ...

on the Tradewater River as, recalled in the ''History of Union County, Kentucky''. According to ''Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Illinois'', Duff was killed in 1805 on Ripple Island, on the Saline River, in

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 4,946, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county ...

and buried near the local salt springs. Fort Massac River Side

References

* Alvord, Clarence Walworth. ''The Illinois Country, 1673-1818, Volume 1''. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Centennial Commission, 1920. * Alvord, Clarence Walworth, editor. ''Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790,'' ''Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, Illinois State Historical Library''. Springfield, Ill.: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1909. *Bateman, Newton and Paul Selby, editors. ''Biographical and Memorial Edition of the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 1''. Munsell Publishing Company, 1915. *Glaser, Lynn. ''Counterfeiting in America: the history of an American way to wealth''. C.N. Potter, 1968. * Reynolds, Governor John. ''Reynolds' History of Illinois: My Own Times: Embracing Also the History of My Life''. Chicago, IL: Chicago Historical Society, 1879. * Reynolds, Governor John. ''The Pioneer History of Illinois: Containing the Discovery, in 1673, and the History of the Country to the Year 1818, when the State Government was Organized''. Chicago, IL: Fergus Print Company, 1887. *Rothert, Otto A. ''The Outlaws of Cave-In-Rock''. Cleveland: 1924; rpt. 1996 *Seineke, Kathrine Wagner Seineke. ''The George Rogers Clark adventure in the Illinois: and selected documents of the American Revolution at the frontier posts''. New York: Polyanthos, 1981. *Underwood, Lt. Thomas T. "The journal, 1792-1800, of Thomas T. Underwood, lieutenant in the United States Army, life at Fort Massac (Illinois) under Zebulon M. Pike's command (1795-1798)," ''Draper Manuscripts: Frontier Wars Papers, 1754-1885 (Volume 16)''. Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division. *Walker, Mrs. Harriett J. ''Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Illinois''. Standard Printing Company, 1918. * Wellman, Paul I. ''Spawn of evil: the invisible empire of soulless men which for a generation held the Nation in a spell of terror''. New York: Doubleday, 1964. *Willson, Richard Eugene, Indexing, Donald E. Gradeless, Ph.D., Editor. 1998. ''Index to the George Rogers Clark Papers: The Illinois Regiment''. Based on the Microfilmed ''George Rogers Clark Papers at the Virginia State Library and Archives''. Chicago: Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Illinois. *''Chester Co (South Carolina) Misc Record Book LL'', reprieve granted Philip McElduff convicted of murder of Thomas McElduff till Wed the 2nd of Dec 1761, p.417 *''History of Union County, Kentucky''. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886.
New Bern District (North Carolina) Court Records 1770-1774

Papers of the U.S. War Department 1784-1800
. *Raymond H. Hammes Collection. English Summaries. Illinois State Archives. 81:2:27:1. *"Some Irish Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina 1753 and 1754," ''The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research'', Vol. 17, No. 1 (Winter 1989):25-29. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v.

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