Factchecker’s Corner: Cathay Williams, the Secret Soldier

I’ve mentioned before in this blog that when factchecking a really interesting story, it is easy to get caught up in the weeds of some relatively small detail, motivated as much by my own curiosity as I am the need for verification. Once again, I found myself in such a state while reading our July/August story on the history of Buffalo Soldiers in Oklahoma and Indian Territory by Quraysh Ali Lansana and Nick Alexandrov.

Near the end of that piece, Quraysh and Nick mention Cathay Williams, the only woman with membership in the famous black cavalry regiments that played a prominent role in patrolling Oklahoma pre-statehood. The story spends just a paragraph on Williams, as she was never actually stationed in Oklahoma or Indian Territory. Regardless, her personal journey was too remarkable to have gone totally unmentioned. As the story says, Williams was born a slave in 1844 Missouri and captured by Union soldiers as a teenager. Considered contraband at the time, she was made to cook and clean for the Army. Not long after the conclusion of the Civil War, she enlisted in the military by posing as a man under the name William Cathay. She would later find a home as a Buffalo Soldier in the newly created 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. Williams’ true identity as a woman was only discovered by Army doctors after she came down with a case of smallpox, after which she was honorably discharged.

Cathay Williams, a Buffalo soldier who enlisted in the guise of a man, sent Research Editor Ben Luschen looking for more information. Courtesy U.S. Army

Upon reading this, I was of course reminded of the famous tale of Hua Mulan—the legendary Chinese warrior who posed as a man to take her father’s place in the military during a time of war—which has now served as the inspiration behind multiple Disney films. I wondered how it could be that the fable of Mulan was so widely known, but I had never heard anything of Cathay Williams. It seems like a story that could have its own Hollywood moment.

There are likely multiple contributing reasons as to why Williams’ exploits have not yet found movie glory, and one of them could be the sad note on which her life story ends. Though Williams married after her discharge, it ended with her husband running off with her money and horses. Years later, Williams would be denied a disability pension from the Army, despite suffering from neuralgia and diabetes, walking only with the assistance of a crutch as all her toes had been amputated. She died not long after this denial.

It also turns out that women posing as men to enlist in the Army was not all that uncommon during this time period. It is estimated that about four hundred women served during the Civil War under those false pretenses, though Williams is the only known black woman to have registered in the Army with a male identity.

Maybe Williams’ story lacks the embellishment of combat glory as depicted in the legend of Mulan, but her life was no less remarkable. She might not be an Oklahoman, but Williams is a model of determination and resilience to us all. I thank both Quraysh and Nick for making me aware of her story, and I’m glad to have played some small part in making her life more well known.

Written By

Ben Luschen

Luschen joined the *Oklahoma Today*’ staff as Research Editor in 2021 and currently works as the magazine's Web Editor, managing the website and social media fronts. His past *Oklahoma Today* stories have ranged in content from the state's bee and quail industries to its vibrant art and music scenes. Not adverse to a road trip, Luschen is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. He is never out of opinions about the current state of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.