Well her troops knew her as William Cathay! Cathay an African-American soldier who enlisted in the US Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She was the very first Black woman to enlist, and the only documented to serve in the US Army posing as a man.
Williams was born in Independence, Missouri, to a free man and woman in slavery, making her legal status also that of a slave. During her adolescence, she worked as a house slave on the Johnson Plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861 Union forces occupied Jefferson City in the early stages of the Civil War. At that time, captured slaves were officially designated by the Union as “contraband,” and many were forced to serve in the military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses.
Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Cathay Williams enlisted in the US Army under her false name, William Cathay for a three-year engagement. Shortly after being enlisted, she caught smallpox, was hospitalized and rejoined her unit, which by they was posted in New Mexico. Due to smallpox and possible effects brought on by heat, her body began to show signs of strain and was frequently hospitalized.
Two years after enlisting, 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.
After she exited the military, she went on to be a cook and seamstress. Eventually after becoming ill, she had been granted pensions for their service in the American Revolutionary War.