Duncan Lamont Clinch today is best remembered for the Georgia county and Florida fort that bears his name. Clinch's stand against the Seminoles during the First Seminole War endeared him to slaveowners in Georgia. Hearing that slaves and Indians were fortifying positions along West Florida rivers, Clinch and his men secured a forward position, provisioned the site then waited as a naval force moved up the Appalachacola River to find the slaves and Indians. When the stronghold was discovered, the gunboats opened fire and quickly hit the magazine. The resulting explosion destroyed the fort and killed most of the inhabitants. Georgian slaveholders had been afraid that the fortified position might attract runaway slaves.

During the Second Seminole War Clinch was once again called to quell the Seminole uprising. At the Battle of Withlacoochee, Clinch advanced from Fort Drane to a position in the proximity of a large Seminole camp near the Withlachoochee. On the morning of Dec. 31 he attacked the entrenched position of the Seminoles, who stood their ground until Clinch withdrew. Clinch returned to Fort Drane with minor losses.