2018 Black History Month Edition

Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Programs Celebrates Black History
Cathay Williams
1842 - 1892
Cathay Williams was the only known female African American Buffalo Soldier. She was
the first black woman to be documented for her service in the U.S. Army before women
were officially allowed to enlist.
Williams was born in September of 1844
in Independence, Missouri. Aside from
this lone fact, details of her life up until
her enlistment in the Army are unknown or
based on rumor. It has been reported that,
while her father was a free black man, her
mother was a slave and Williams herself was
born into slavery. She appears to have been
considered the property of William Johnson,
an affluent farmer. As a child, Williams was
moved to Johnson’s home in Jefferson City
where she worked as a domestic servant. At the
onset of the Civil War, Union soldiers seized the
farm, and the 16-year-old Williams was
absorbed into the migrations of the Union
Army. She was taken to Little Rock,
Arkansas, where she worked for the Army
as a laundress and a cook.
While serving as a Buffalo Soldier,
Williams learned to use a musket,
and to perform garrison duty,
guard duty, and scouting missions.
Although no records imply that she
was an exceptional soldier,
every indication exists that she was perfectly
capable. She never had cause to personally
engage in combat during her enlistment.
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