Cathay Williams, born September 1844 in Independence, Missouri, was the first black woman to enlist in the US Army, serving in the American Indian Wars. Her father was a free man but her mother was a slave, meaning Williams' place in the world was a slave. At the time, the US Army prohibited women from serving, so Williams enlisted under the false name of William Cathay, passing herself as a man, on November 15, 1866. She was assigned to the 38th US Infantry Regiment. After a bout of smallpox, she was hospitalized and a surgeon discovered she was a woman., She was discharged by her CO Capt. Charles Clarke, October 14, 1868.
She passed away in Trinidad, Colorado in 1893.
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