In 1866, a woman disguised herself as man to join US Army. A routine medical examination eventually exposed her secret

For nearly two years, soldiers serving alongside “William Cathay” had little reason to suspect there was anything unusual about their fellow serviceman. But behind the name and uniform was Cathay Williams, a woman who had entered the US Army at a time when women were prohibited from enlisting. She passed a medical examination, served with the 38th US Infantry and kept her identity hidden until repeated illness led an Army surgeon to discover her secret. Her remarkable journey would eventually make her the only known woman to serve as a Buffalo Soldier, according to the National Park Service (NPS).

Born to an Enslaved Mother

Williams was born in Missouri to an enslaved mother and a free father. As a teenager, she worked as an enslaved house servant on a plantation near Jefferson City. Her life changed dramatically during the Civil War. When Union forces occupied Jefferson City in 1861, enslaved people captured by the Army were classified as “contraband”, and some were put to work in supporting roles.

At just 17, Williams served the Army as a cook and washerwoman. Her work took her across the country with infantry units, and the NPS says she served under General Philip Sheridan and witnessed military operations including the Red River Campaign and Battle of Pea Ridge.

She Enlisted Under the Name ‘William Cathay’

When the war was over, Williams made an extraordinary decision. On November 15, 1866, despite rules preventing women from serving, she enlisted in the US Regular Army for three years. She registered under the name “William Cathay” and presented herself as a man. Even the Army's medical examination failed to expose her identity. According to the NPS, examinations at the time were not as thorough as they would later become. Williams was subsequently assigned to the 38th US Infantry Regiment.

Illness Finally Revealed Her Secret

Keeping her identity hidden was only part of Williams' challenge. Soon after joining the Army, she contracted smallpox and required hospital treatment. She eventually returned to her unit in New Mexico, but her health continued to deteriorate. Frequent hospitalisations eventually led to the moment that ended her military career. A post surgeon examined Williams and discovered that she was a woman. The surgeon informed her commander, and Williams was honourably discharged on October 14, 1868. Her secret had survived almost two years in the Army.

Her Story Became Public Years Later

After leaving military service, Williams worked as a cook at Fort Union in New Mexico before eventually settling in Trinidad, Colorado, where she worked as a seamstress. Her extraordinary past might have remained largely unknown had rumours about a Black woman who had served in the Army not reached a journalist. Williams was interviewed, and her story appeared in the St. Louis Daily Times on January 2, 1876. Years later, she sought a disability pension connected to her military service, but her application was denied.

A Remarkable Place in American History

The NPS notes that hundreds of women are believed to have disguised themselves as men during the Civil War. Williams' story, however, occupies a particularly unusual place in US military history: she is recognised as the first African American woman to enlist in the US Army and the only known female Buffalo Soldier. What began with a false name and an Army uniform ultimately became a story that survived long after her secret was exposed giving Cathay Williams a place in American history that the rules of her own era had tried to deny her.