Pretended To Be a Man
Cathay Williams had to pretend to be a man to enlist into the United States Army. An army surgeon examined William Cathay upon enlistment, and determined that the recruit was fit for duty. The exam may not have been thorough, checking for obvious and superficial impairments or abnormalities, or the surgeon kept the fact Cathay was female to himself. It seems highly unlikely anyone was aware of her gender, because 19th century U.S. Army regulations forbade the regular enlistment or commissioning of women.
She Was a Buffalo Soldier
Williams was assigned to Company A of the 38th U.S. Infantry, one of six infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments of black soldiers deployed in the post-Civil War Indian campaigns in the West. In these were the heroic buffalo soldiers. Williams’ company, however, never saw direct combat during her period of service. During her two year stint in the military, Williams primarily did regular garrison duties.
