Cathay Williams

Mural and Statue Safari Stop #12

The Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum opened in Leavenworth in 1992 to showcase not only local African-American history, but contributions made nationwide. That, of course, includes the pioneering Buffalo Soldiers, among them the U.S. Army's 10th Cavalry founded at Fort Leavenworth in 1866.

When touring the Richard Allen Center, perhaps the story of one soldier in particular stands out: Cathay Williams, the only known female Buffalo Soldier. Born a slave in 1844, Williams spent the Civil War forced to cook for troops occupying Jefferson City, Missouri. But once the fighting was over and the 13th Amendment had passed, Williams, like many newly freed people, had trouble finding work and looked to military service to make ends meet -- certainly a difficulty for women, as they were not allowed to enlist.

Posing as a man named William Cathay, the then 22-year-old managed to pass a cursory medical exam without being discovered and was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry. She served in non-combat roles for two years before a case of smallpox and a more thorough doctor ended her military career. She applied for her government pension as her health problems worsened, but she was denied for not being the man she had claimed to be. The exact date of her death is unknown, but it's believed she passed sometime around 1892 or 1893, not long after the denial of her benefits.

The National Park Service estimates that 400 women posed as male soldiers in order to fight during the Civil War, but Williams was the only documented woman to serve in the Army during the Indian Wars. This bust found in the Richard Allen Center rose garden honors her memory.