Most of us have seen comedies where the main character cross-dresses to get the job done and fools everyone around them. But what if one of those stories was actually true?

Well, it was for Buffalo Soldier Cathay (Cathy) Williams. She is the first African-American female to enlist - and the only one documented - to serve in the U.S. Army, while posing as a man under the name William Cathay. Back then, the Army didn't cheeck for gender.

Williams was born under slave status in Missouri. As the Civil War broke out, slaves were labeled as “contraband” by the Union, and women were forced to serve as military cooks, maids or nurses. So, at age 17, Williams traveled through the Midwest as hired military help. But once she laid eyes on the black soldiers in Little Rock, Arkansas, she heard a call to join the fight.

Despite the ban against women serving in the Army, Williams enlisted on Nov. 15, 1866 in St. Louis. She served in the 38th U.S. Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) for three years. Only her cousin and close friend, who also served, knew her true identity.

William’s gender was finally revealed after suffering bouts of sickness from war conditions. On Oct. 14, 1868, she revealed herself to a surgeon and was discharged from the Army.

The rest of her life was a blur.

She married, only to have her husband steal her savings. And, after losing all her toes to amputation due to diabetes complications, Williams was rejected for a military pension to pay for disability. Her story was told in 1871 after an interview with The St. Louis Daily Times on Jan. 2, 1876. 

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