In War and Peace, 

Through Death-Threat,

These Slaves Were Faithful By Claude Roberts Written for The Sunny South Among the slaves transplanted by the Canteys from the rice fields of South Carolina to the corn and cotton fields of Russell County, Alabama, were some of the most faithful, devoted and heroic souls it has been the good luck of the writer to chance upon.

The late General James Cantey, of Fort Mitchell, Ala., was the veteran of two wars, and through all the trials, suffering and hardships that such an experience necessarily entails, he was blessed in having by his side and at home with his loved ones some faithful being who studied his interest and served him with a wholesome devotion which falls to the lot of but a few men. There was not one among his slaves who ever failed him, and I have often wondered if all this happened purely by chance or whether the character of the low country negro of South Carolina is better, as a rule, than that of the rest of his race.

Mr. Cantey was a young man when he left his father's home in South Carolina to take part in the Mexican War, and Winter Cantey the chief character of this sketch was still more youthful, but his persistent entreaties to accompany his young master got the better of discretion, permission was given, and they started forth together. From that day to this, though the one was sent back on account of his extreme youth ere he reached the battle field, and the other is now sleeping in his quiet grave, the link between them has never been broken.

Slave Given Freedom For Devotion 

The record of Sam Kirkwood, the negro who served in Winter's stead as General Cantey's body servant, as well as that of his master's, through the Mexican war, has been preserved. In the old home at Fort Mitchell are two massive silver pitchers bearing the inscription: Presented by William Burrous to Adj. James Cantey, who when elected Colonel, resigned in favor of a meritorious senior officer. Besides this generous and noble act, Adjutant Cantey's record is one of a brave, fearless and gallant officer, and written indelibly in the hearts of his children is this tender memory of the faithful black who served him: At the battle of Cherubusco Adjutant Cantey was fearfully wounded, being shot down, left apparently lifeless on the field, and afterwords thrown out among the dead. Here in this gruesome pile, Sam found him, and taking him up in his strong arms, bore him to a place of safety with the intention of carrying the body back to the old home way down in South Carolina, but detecting some faint sign of life, he went to work at once to revive him, and by his untiring efforts his life was saved.

In gratitude for this deed, the negro was given his freedom, but this is his remarkable record and his history thereafter briefly told: He refused this great gift and served his white folks in the capacity of the same humble, faithful slave until slavery, by the result of the civil war, was abolished throughout the land! Winter Cantey was raised by General Cantey's mother in South Carolina, and from his early youth up was a trusted servant. Between Camden, S.C., and the Alabama Plantation at Fort Mitchell, he was sent many times with large sums of money, negroes, horses, mares and colts. The overseers on this plantation gave trouble by their faithlessness to duty, etc., and the master of it all persuaded his son James, who was then a young lawyer with a fine practice and a member, also, of the South Carolina legislature, to come out to Alabama and live at Fort Mitchell so that he could give his personal attention to the management of the business, and here he and Winter lived in peace until the breaking out of the civil war. General Cantey went out in the defense of his country as colonel of the Fifteenth Alabama regiment, and served in this capacity until after the battles around Richmond when he was promoted for gallant service to the office of brigadier general, which office he held until the close of the war.

And in the home at Fort Mitchell, with her two little sons, and surrounded by her faithful slaves, his young wife did her part, as did all our noble southern women during that trying ordeal, to her country and its people. Her situation was a lonely and unprotected one, save for the trusty blacks, for the nearest neighbor was 2 miles away at least; and this was the situation when the news spread through the country that Wilson's raid was coming! It was passing through Tuskegee and Crawford, the then county seat of Russell county on its way to Columbus, Ga. Fort Mitchell did not lie immediately in but only bordered the direct route thereto, so there was a chance that they might escape, especially as the plantation lay a mile or more back from the main road. But there is always a temptation to lure one on to the devils' work, and this case proved no exception. The Cantey boys owned a beautiful pony,  Planet, which was the pride of their hearts and the envy at least of one black rascal who went out of his way, when he heard the raiders were coming, to guide them to the rich plantation of General Cantey his reward to be Planet, the spirited, the beautiful.

Slaves Defend Mistress at Critical Moments

 The main body of these yankees went on to Columbus, but the worse portion stragglers as they were called caught eagerly at the bait and followed where they were led. At the very first sight of the approach Winter for Winter was again denied the privilege of accompanying his master to war, this time on account of ill-health Winter went out and took his stand in the yard to meet them, while Mrs. Cantey came bravely, too, to the front and faced them from the veranda. But in the supreme moment she was not left desolate. As soon as she took per position there, she found by her side, the one on the right and the other on the left, Jim Stark and Henry Johnson, two as brave, heroic and faithful souls as ever inhabited the human temple white or black.  I never had a negro so close to me before or since, said Mrs. Cantey in relating the incident, they stood so near that their shoulders touched me, and they stood, as did our loved General, like a stone wall And standing next, just as close as she could get to her mistress for these men, was Dinah, the children's nurse.

As soon as the yankees reached the plantation the black guide went direct to the stable, saddled the pony and rode in all the glory of unrighteous possession, right up to the door, and Dinah, seeing him, could not suppress her wrath.  Look at dat nigger, she exclaimed, on dem chilluns pony! Nasty rascal! In the distressing and agonizing moment when Mrs. Cantey saw that band of ruffians drawing near, and nearer, she turned, and, giving hastily into the keeping of a little girl some valuable papers, told her to save them. One never errs in a moment like this. As we go through life there is some power lying within us  instinct I think we call it by which we feel the love, the hate, of our fellow-man. We know, without any advice of a third party, whom to trust and whom to avoid. The crucial moment necessary to test this knowledge may never come, but if it does we turn instantly, without stopping to reason about the matter, to the heart where we will surely find comfort, help, or sympathy, as the need may be. Peggy Cofield was a small girl only 14 years of age, but as will be shown, she was worthy of this trust. She was a remarkably pretty child, with Indian blood in her veins and hers is the solitary instance in this sketch whose loyalty to a friend can be given the credit for on the score of a grandfather.

Fear of Death Did Not Move Slave

       While the ruffians swarmed over the house and premises, Winter stood in the yard pleading with the officer to call them back, and have pity on the helpless woman and little children who were at their mercy but the prayer was unheeded and instead they demanded that he tell them where the riches were concealed, but he would not. They then used, as a gentle persuasive the cold touch of a pistol against his forehead, which they assured him would go off, as a dead sure thing, at another refusal, but still he would not. Then, as a further trial of his faith, they put a rope around his neck and drew him up to the nearest limb, but when they let him down ah! Remember this slave when you speak of the heroes of 61-65. Although he was weak in body his brave spirit was undaunted and still he answered them not a word. For the second and the third time this cruel punishment was repeated without avail. Leaving him then they demanded the information of her, but she was born neath southern skies and not afraid to die or to meet, as had her brothers, outnumbering hosts of her country's foes, and they learned nothing from her.

Then in desperation they turned to the negro who stood on her right. This was Jim Stark, a huge man and as black as the ace of spades. One of them put the pistol to his forehead and said: I will kill you if you do not tell where her gold and silver are hidden! Jim lifted his eyes with their gleaming whites, and looking him straight in the face, said: Master, if she got enny, I don't know it. From what ancestor, think you, did he get this bravery and loyalty? The pistol was lowered, and spying now Mrs. Cantey's diamond rings, he said, If you do not give us those we will kill you. You will have to kill me, then, she said, and turning from them walked into the house. Then Dinah sprang between them, and pulling off a large gold ring she wore, cried out,  Here, Master, take this, take this, but don't hurt her.

All threats proving of no avail, the yankees proceeded now to do the dog in the manger act, saying that if they could not get what was in the house no one should, and so they would burn it to the ground, and lighting a torch they started forth to really carry out this last piece of devilry. The torch was applied to the base board of the inside wall of the dining room, and adjoining this particular board was a pantry, and in that pantry and in the very identical corner where these walls met was a large barrel of sugar. The elder had told me he would never forget the pang that went through his little heart when he saw the flame and knew all that sugar was doomed. Just as the fire took firm hold of that board and the flame flared up, however, an officer rushed upon the scene and ordered the villain to undo his dastardly work and get out. He spoke as one speaks to a thieving cur, and like a cur the straggler hung his head and slunk away.

It chanced that some of the yankees saw Mrs. Cantey when she gave the package into the keeping of the little girl, and now they ordered that she be brought forth, but she was nowhere to be found. When this was reported, the suspicion was aroused within them that the package was more valuable than they had at first been led to believe by seeing it placed in the hand of so small a child, and a thorough search for her was ordered, and the order was carried out to the letter. The house and entire premises for yards around were ransacked, but Peggy Cofield had vanished completely in the presence of those yankees as the vision of a dream at the first sharp touch of day! Long hours after they were gone she crept back to the house, and, with sparkling eyes and the precious package clasped tight to her bosom related how she had concealed it in her clothing, and ran clean erway soon as dat yankee turn his head. 

        Stragglers Return Stolen Goods Through Persuasion

At last they turned, not only their heads but their backs upon the luckless place and were gone, but they  not go alone for Winter and Dinah followed them for 2 miles, begging for the children's pony, and when these two faithful ones returned bringing Plane with them, the boys were never so happy before or since, I venture to say!

A home guard, stationed on the other side of the creek which divides Fort Mitchell from the outside world, fearing the possibility of just such an event as recorded above, sent a few of the men up to learn the news. When they reached the Quarter, the negroes, taking them for yankees, fell on their knees and begged and prayed that they would not hurt Miissie! As soon as the men learned that they were too late and that the danger was over, they returned, but they told Mrs. Cantey afterwords that they never witnessed such devotion as those negroes displayed for her.

Fearing that some straggler might return, Winter, Jim Stark and Henry Johnson stationed themselves as a guard on the veranda and there they watched all night long! Just at daybreak Winter tapped on Mrs. Cantey's window and told her that she could go to sleep as he had seen rockets going up and knew enough about war to know that this was a signal to break camp and join forces on the march. Today all of these faithful negroes whose names are mentioned here are dead save one. Winter Cantey is still a resident of Fort Mitchell. He owns his little farm, is a veterinary surgeon, and is now as ever devoted to the Cantey family. He is a friend to the white people, assists in all their elections, votes with them, and has the respect of them all. His daughters have been educated at Booker T. Washington's industrial school at Tuskegee, and are now occupying honorable positions in the world.

Winter often goes back to Camden on a visit with different members of the Cantey family. Once when Mrs. Cantey was returning from a visit to that place he was in attendance, watching over the baggage, etc. At one of the stations he saw a white man in the crowd push up against Mrs. Cantey. Immediately he walked up to him and said: You are in this lady's way, and shoved him aside. Several men looked hard at him as if pondering a thing or two, but nothing was said. The last visit he made to Camden was about a year ago in company with his Young master's elder son. He was going at his own expense, and for his own pleasure, just as Mr. Cantey was, to see his old friends and kinsfolk, but he constituted himself as the special servant of the young man, took on all the baggage, relieved him of all the small vexations of a railroad trip, and every day while they were in Camden was his faithful attendant, giving to him freely and voluntarily all those attentions that are required of a man hired for this special service serving him, in fact, just as a young southern gentleman was accustomed to being served by his own particular darky in the days before the war!

(This article was published in an defunct magazine around 1900. This history of my GG Uncle Winter Cantey has been passed down throgh his white side of his family since the Civil War. Winter Cantey was actually the biological son of my GGG Grandfather, John Cantey of South Carolina and a black lady friend. He was the half brother of General James Cantey, CSA, and always considered a loyal and beloved member of General Cantey's family until Winter's death circa 1910. He was NEVER a slave or treated like a servant in any way! Emory A. Cantey, Jr.)