Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams
Nickname(s)	William Cathay (nom de guerre)
Born	September 1842 Independence, Missouri
Died	1892 (aged 49–50) Trinidad, Colorado
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1866 - 1868
Rank	Private
Unit	Company A, 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, Buffalo Soldiers
Commands held	United States Army
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Cathay Williams (September 1844 - 1892) was an American soldier who enlisted in United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She is the first African-American woman to enlist, and the only documented to serve in the United States Army posing as a man.

Biography

Early years

Williams was born in Independence, Missouri to a free man and a woman in slavery, making her legal status also that of a slave. During her adolescence, Williams worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861 Union forces occupied Jefferson City in the early stages of the American Civil War. At that time, captured slaves were officially designated by the Union as "contraband," and many were forced to serve in military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. At age seventeen, Williams was impressed into serving the 8th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel William Plummer Benton.

Civil War

For the next few years, Williams traveled with the 8th Indiana, accompanying the soldiers on their marches through Arkansas, Louisiana, and Georgia. She was present at the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Red River Campaign. At one time she was transferred to Little Rock, where she would have seen uniformed African-American men serving as soldiers, which may have inspired her own interest in military service. Later, Williams was transferred to Washington, D.C., where she served with General Philip Sheridan's command. When the war ended, Williams was working at Jefferson Barracks.

Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Williams enlisted in the United States Regular Army on November 15, 1866 at St. Louis, Missouri for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. She was assigned to the 38th United States Infantry Regiment after she passed a cursory medical examination. Only two others are known to have been privy to the deception, her cousin and a friend, both of whom were fellow soldiers in her regiment.

Shortly after her enlistment, Williams contracted smallpox, was hospitalized and rejoined her unit, which by then was posted in New Mexico. Possibly due to the effects of smallpox, the New Mexico heat, or the cumulative effects of years of marching, her body began to show signs of strain. She was frequently hospitalized. The post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman and informed the post commander. She was discharged from the Army by her commanding officer, Captain Charles E. Clarke on October 14, 1868.

Personal life

Williams went to work as a cook at Fort Union, New Mexico, and later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. Williams married, but it ended disastrously when her husband stole her money and a team of horses. Williams had him arrested. She next moved to Trinidad, Colorado, where she made her living as a seamstress. She may also have owned a boarding house. It was at this time that Williams' story first became public. A reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a female African-American who had served in the army, and came to interview her. Her life and military service narrative was published in The St. Louis Daily Times on 2 January 1876.

Pension record for Cathay Williams

In late 1889 or early 1890, Williams entered a local hospital where she remained for some time, and in June 1891, applied for a disability pension based on her military service. The nature of her illness and disability are unknown. There was precedent for granting a pension to female soldiers. Deborah Sampson in 1816, Anna Maria Lane, and Mary Hayes McCauley (better known as Molly Pitcher) had been granted pensions for disguising themselves as men to serve in the American Revolutionary War.

In September 1891, a doctor employed by the Pension Bureau examined Williams. Despite the fact that she suffered from neuralgia and diabetes, had had all her toes amputated, and could only walk with a crutch, the doctor decided she did not qualify for disability payments. Her application was rejected.

The exact date of Williams' death is unknown, but it is assumed she died shortly after being denied a pension, probably sometime in 1892. Her simple grave marker would have been made of wood and deteriorated long ago. Thus her final resting place is now unknown.

Recognition

In 2016, a bronze bust of Williams, featuring information about her and with a small rose garden around it, was unveiled outside the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kansas.

See also

• African-American firsts
• List of wartime crossdressers

Further reading

• Tucker, Phillip Thomas. Cathy Williams: From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002. ISBN 0811703401 OCLC 48053831
• "Profiles in Courage: Cathay Williams aka William Cathay". Heroes Among Us. United States Army. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
• Ramona L. Rand-Caplan (ed.) (2008). "Williams, Cathay (1850- )". African American History in the American West. BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2008-11-13. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Stanford L. Davis (25 June 2006). "Female Buffalo Soldier- With Documents". Buffalo Soldier.net. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
• "William Cathay". African-American News & Issues. 3 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-15. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• Shane McCrae (2012). "The Ballad of Cathay Williams William Cathay". Poets.org. Retrieved 2012-11-27.