The Female Buffalo Soldier

Cathay Williams was born a slave in Missouri in 1842, but was freed by Union soldiers during the Civil War. She worked as a paid servant for the Union Army under General Philip Sheridan, who took her with him to Washington as a cook and laundress. After the war, she wanted to maintain her financial independence, and in November of 1866, enlisted in the 38th U.S. Infantry, known best as the “Buffalo Soldiers,” under the name William Cathay—since, of course, it was illegal for women to join