Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father in Independence, Missouri in 1844. During her adolescence, she worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861, Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the early stages of the Civil War. At that time, captured slaves were officially designated as contraband and were forced to serve in military support roles, such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. , Before her voluntary enlistment at 17 years of age, Williams served as an Army cook and a washer-woman. In this role she accompanied the infantry all over the country under the service of General Philip Sheridan. Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Regular Army under the false name of "William Cathay" on November 15, 1866. She enlisted for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. Williams was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, after she passed the cursory medical examination. Though this exam should have outed her as a woman, the Army did not require full medical exams at that time. , While her unit was deployed to New Mexico, the post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman. The post commander was informed, and she was honorably discharged on October 14, 1868. She then joined an emerging all-black regiment that would eventually become part of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. These units dotted the West and showed tremendous skill and valor in a range of duties, including skirmishes with Native Americans, escorting vulnerable wagon trains, building forts, and protecting white settlers, all with sub-par equipment.