Born: 1842 Died: Feb. 1924 Biography: Cathay Williams was born in Independence, Missouri in 1842. Born into slavery, she was a "house slave" for William Johnson, washing, cooking and doing laundry for he and his family. When Cathay was in her late teens, she and some other female slaves were sent to Little Rock, Arkansas. When the Civil War broke out she was freed by Union soldiers. After that she worked for the Army as a paid servant. She served Col. Brenton while he was in Little Rock, then she served Gen. Sheridan and his staff. She was recruited to Washington to serve as a cook and laundress for them. While traveling with them she witnessed the Shenandoah Valley raids in Virginia. She traveled through Iowa and then to St. Louis, all the while working for the Army. When the Civil War was over she decided to join the Army. On November 16, 1866, she enlisted in the U.S. Army as William Cathay. She informed the recruiting officer that she was 22 years old, and a cook. She was assigned to the U.S. 38th Infantry, Company A, and traveled throughout the West with her unit. The only people who knew William Cathay was a woman was a cousin and a friend of hers. In 1868, she began to grow tired of military life. Claiming an illness she went to the nearby doctor, only to be discovered a female, and immediately released from service. She was discharged from the military on October 14, 1868. After her discharge, she moved to Colorado and settled down. She later married a man, and found that he'd been a thief. After his arrest she remained single. She died in 1924 at the age of 82 years old. She was the only female Buffalo soldier known to date.