Cathay Williams Cathay Williams ( September 1844 - 1892 ) was an American soldier . She is the first African - American female to enlist , and the only documented to serve in the United States Army posing as a man , under the pseudonym William Cathay . Biography . Early years . Williams was born in Independence , Missouri to a free man of color and a woman in bondage , making her legal status also that of a slave . During her adolescence , Williams worked as a house servant on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City , Missouri . In 1861 Union forces occupied Jefferson City in the early stages of the American Civil War . At that time , captured slaves were officially designated by the Union as " contraband , " and many were forced to serve in military support roles such as cooks , laundresses , or nurses . At age seventeen , Williams was impressed into serving the 8th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment , commanded by Colonel William Plummer Benton . Civil War . For the next few years , Williams travelled with the 8th Indiana , accompanying the soldiers on their marches through Arkansas , Louisiana , and Georgia . She was present at the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Red River Campaign . At one time she was transferred to Little Rock , where she would have seen uniformed African - American men serving as soldiers , which may have inspired her own interest in military service . Later , Williams was transferred to Washington , D . C . , where she served with General Philip Sheridan ' s command . When the war ended , Williams was working at Jefferson Barracks . Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military , Williams enlisted in the United States Regular Army on 15 November 1866 at St . Louis , Missouri for a three year engagement , passing herself off as a man . Only two others are known to have been privy to the deception , her cousin and a friend , both of whom were fellow soldiers in her regiment . Shortly after her enlistment , Williams contracted smallpox , was hospitalized and rejoined her unit , which by then was posted in New Mexico . Possibly due to the effects of smallpox , the New Mexico heat , or the cumulative effects of years of marching , her body began to show signs of strain . She was frequently hospitalized . The post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman and informed the post commander . She was discharged from the Army by her commanding officer , Captain Charles E . Clarke on October 14 , 1868 . Personal life . Williams went to work as a cook at Fort Union , New Mexico , and later moved to Pueblo , Colorado . Williams married , but it ended disastrously when her husband stole her money and a team of horses . Williams had him arrested . She next moved to Trinidad , Colorado , where she made her living as a seamstress . She may also have owned a boarding house . It was at this time that Williams ' story first became public . A reporter from St . Louis heard rumors of a female African - American who had served in the army , and came to interview her . Her life and military service narrative was published in " The St . Louis Daily Times " on 2 January 1876 . In late 1889 or early 1890 , Williams entered a local hospital where she remained for some time , and in June 1891 , applied for a disability pension based on her military service . The nature of her illness and disability are unknown . There was precedent for granting a pension to female soldiers . Deborah Sampson in 1816 , and Mary Hayes McCauley ( better known as Molly Pitcher ) had been granted pensions for disguising themselves as men to serve in the American Revolutionary War . Sampson ' s cause had been championed by none other than Paul Revere . However , Williams had no influential friends to help her . In September 1891 , a doctor employed by the Pension Bureau examined Williams . Despite the fact that she suffered from neuralgia and diabetes , had had all her toes amputated , and could only walk with a crutch , the doctor decided she did not qualify for disability payments . Her application was rejected . The exact date of Williams ' death is unknown , but it is assumed she died shortly after being denied a pension , probably sometime in 1892 . Her simple grave marker would have been made of wood and deteriorated long ago . Thus her final resting place is now unknown .