Cathy Williams: From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier

From her beginnings as a slave in Independence, Missouri, to her enlistment with Company A, 38th U.S. Infantry, in November 1866, this volume tells the story of the incredible life of Cathy Williams (1844-1893?). By disguising herself as a man and assuming the name William Cathay, Williams became a 'buffalo soldier,' serving in one of the six black units formed following the Civil War. Her story tells us much about prevailing attitudes toward both race and gender in post-Civil War America.