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Cathay Williams
1st Female Buffalo Soldier

Cathay Williams was an African-American soldier who enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She was the first Black woman to enlist, and the only documented woman to serve in the United States Army posing as a man during the American Indian Wars.

Born: September 1844, Independence, MO

Died: 1893, Trinidad, CO

Unit: 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army (Buffalo soldier)

Rank: private

Other names: John Williams, William Cathay

Years of service: 1866–1868

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Buffalo Soldier Military Park, Fort Leavenworth, KS. All Completed by the Buffalo Soldier Educational Committee between July 1992 -November 2018.

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