I wanted to make my own living and not be dependent on relations or friends. — Cathay Williams (Cathay's enlistment as "William Cathay," image via National Archives) In 1850, Cathay was born a slave in Missouri. In 1861, the Union army conscripted her as a cook and washerwoman on the front lines of the Civil War in Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia. In 1866, dressed in men's clothes and using a man's name, Cathay enlisted in the U.S. Army's buffalo soldier ranks.
A Woman to Know: Cathay Williams
A Woman to Know: Cathay Williams
A Woman to Know: Cathay Williams
I wanted to make my own living and not be dependent on relations or friends. — Cathay Williams (Cathay's enlistment as "William Cathay," image via National Archives) In 1850, Cathay was born a slave in Missouri. In 1861, the Union army conscripted her as a cook and washerwoman on the front lines of the Civil War in Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia. In 1866, dressed in men's clothes and using a man's name, Cathay enlisted in the U.S. Army's buffalo soldier ranks.