Colonel Joseph Coffell (or Scophol) was said by Patriot General William Moultrie to have been an "illiterate, stupid, and noisy blockhead." Stupid though he may have been, he certainly gave them a great deal of trouble. He served as a constable in the Orangeburg, South Carolina District, where he was charged with being "guilty of evil Practices in the Execution of his Office" after he received whippings for, first, cattle rustling and, secondly, stealing nearly 40 chickens.