Hidden Figures: Cathay Williams #BlackHERstoryMonth 5/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Cathay Williams #BlackHERstoryMonth 5/28

Cathay Williams (September 1844 – 1893) was an American soldier who enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She was the first Black American woman to enlist, and the only documented to serve in the United States Army posing as a man. Williams was born in Independence, Missouri, to a free man and a woman in slavery, making her legal status also that of a slave. During her adolescence, Williams worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861, Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the early stages of the Civil War. At this time, captured slaves were officially designated as contraband and were forced to serve in military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. Before her voluntary enlistment, at just 17 years old, Williams served as an Army cook and a washerwoman. Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Cathay Williams enlisted in the United States Regular Army under the false name of "William Cathay” on November 15, 1866, at St. Louis, Missouri, for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. She was assigned to the 38th United States Infantry Regiment. Shortly after her enlistment, Williams contracted smallpox, was hospitalized and rejoined her unit, which by then was posted in New Mexico. Possibly due to the effects of smallpox and the New Mexico heat, she was frequently hospitalized for exhaustion. The post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman, and informed the post commander. She was honorably discharged by her commanding officer on October 14, 1868, and shortly after signed up with an emerging all-black regiment that would eventually become part of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. As part of the Buffalo Soldiers, Williams went to work as a cook at Fort Union, New Mexico, and later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. Her story became front page news after a reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a Black American woman who had served in the army, and came to interview her. Her life and military service narrative was published in The St. Louis Daily Times on January 2, 1876. Around 1889 or 1890, Williams entered a local hospital and applied for a disability pension based on her military service. Though there was a precedent for granting pension to female soldiers, Williams request was denied. In September 1893, a doctor examined Williams. She suffered from neuralgia and diabetes, and had all her toes amputated and walked with a crutch. The doctor decided that she did not qualify for disability payments.The exact date of her death is unknown, but it is believed she died shortly after she was denied. In 2016, a bronze bust of Cathay Williams, featuring information about her and with a small rose garden around it, was unveiled outside the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2018, the Private Cathay Williams monument bench was unveiled on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum. #CathayWilliams #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: 'Cathay Williams, AKA William Cathay, American Civil War soldier:' https://amazingwomeninhistory.com/cathay-williams/ CATHAY WILLIAMS: https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/vignette_aahw/williams-cathay-1850/ Cathay Williams: https://www.army.mil/africanamericans/profiles/williams.html 'A Soldier’s Story: Cathay Williams Defied Her Time to Become the Only Known Female Buffalo Soldier:' https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/The-Only-Known-Female-Buffalo-Soldier-Cathay-Williams Cathay Williams: https://www.nps.gov/people/cwilliams.htm Cathay Williams (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay_Williams