Buffalo Soldier

Born in 1842, Cathay Williams worked as a house slave for a Missouri planter. Union soldiers freed her after the Civil War broke out. Cathay Williams went to work for the Army as a paid servant. She traveled with Colonel Benton and General Sheridan, experiencing military life during wartime.

In September 1866, the U.S. Army formed an all-Black unit. The men came from the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They were nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers". In those days, women could not serve in the military. Cathay Williams posed as a man and used the name "William Cathay" to enlist in the army. She joined the 38th Infantry; Company A in St. Louis, Missouri. Only a cousin and close friend knew her true identity. They faithfully kept her secret.

William Cathay's military service record shows that his unit was sent to Jefferson, Missouri and Fort Riley, Kansas. After a few months, the unit marched to Fort Union, New Mexico, a distance of more than 500 miles. Then, they marched to Fort Cummings to protect miners and traveling immigrants. Military service took its toll. Records show that William Cathay was hospitalized several times. Still, the soldier's true identity as a woman remained a secret.

In October 1868, it was finally discovered that William Cathay was a woman. She was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. Assigned to garrison duty during her two years in the military, she had never experienced combat. Cathay Williams was the first and only female "Buffalo Soldier" to serve in the U.S. Army.









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