Cathy Williams Popular Books
Cathy Williams Biography & Facts
Cathay Williams (September 1844 – 1893) was an American soldier. An African-American woman, she enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. Williams became the first female to enlist and the only documented woman to serve in the U.S. Army while posing as a man during the Indian Wars. Early life Cathay Williams was born in September 1844 in Independence, Missouri to a free man and a woman in slavery, making her legal status also that of a slave. During her adolescence, Williams 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 officially were designated by the Union as contraband, and many were forced to serve in military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. U.S. Army service Because of the prohibition against women serving in the military, Cathay Williams enlisted in the United States Regular Army under the false name of William Cathay on November 15, 1866 at St. Louis, Missouri for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. She was assigned to the 38th United States Infantry Regiment after she passed a cursory medical examination. 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 later 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 frequently was 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. Post-military service years Cathay Williams worked as a cook at Fort Union, New Mexico and later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. She married, but it ended disastrously when her husband stole her money and a team of horses. Williams had him arrested. She moved to Trinidad, Colorado, where she worked 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 an African-American woman who had served in the army, and he came to interview her. Her life and military service narrative was published in The St. Louis Daily Times on January 2, 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, Anna Maria Lane, and Mary Hayes McCauley (better known as Molly Pitcher) had been granted pensions for their service in the American Revolutionary War. Declining health and death In September 1892, a doctor employed by the U.S. Pension Bureau examined Cathay Williams. Despite the fact that she suffered from neuralgia and diabetes, resulting in the amputation of her toes, 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 1893. Her grave marker is likely to have been made of wood and deteriorated long ago. Thus her final resting place is unknown. Honors In 2016, a bronze bust of Cathay Williams, featuring information about her and with a small rose garden around it, was unveiled outside the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2018, the Private Cathay Williams monument bench was unveiled on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum. See also African-American firsts List of wartime crossdressers The Harder They Fall, a 2021 revisionist Western film in which Danielle Deadwyler portrays Cuffee, a transgender man modeled after Williams. References Sources "Profiles in Courage: Cathay Williams aka William Cathay". Heroes Among Us. United States Army. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-13. Ramona L. Rand-Caplan, ed. (2008). "Williams, Cathay (1850– )". African American History in the American West. BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2008-11-13. Stanford L. Davis (25 June 2006). "Female Buffalo Soldier- With Documents". Buffalo Soldier.net. Retrieved 2007-07-30. "William Cathay". African-American News & Issues. 3 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-15. Shane McCrae (2012). "The Ballad of Cathay Williams William Cathay". Poets.org. Retrieved 2012-11-27. Cathay Williams: Female Buffalo Soldier Archived from the original. Sources pertaining to Cathay Williams' life compiled by the National Park Service Further reading Glasrud, Bruce; Searles, Michael (2007). Buffalo soldiers in the West : a Black soldiers anthology (1st ed.). Texas A & M University Press: College Station, Tex. ISBN 978-1-60344-449-1. OCLC 607825144. External links African Americans in the U.S. Army, Profiles of Bravery: Cathay Williams – U.S. Army website An Exceptional Woman. Female Buffalo Soldier—With Documents. Cathay Williams or William Cathay (Cathey), Private, Thirty-eighth U.S. Infantry, 1866-1868. Discover the Cathy Williams popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Cathy Williams books.
Best Seller Cathy Williams Books of 2024
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Kept by the Spanish Billionaire
Cathy WilliamsMultimillionaire businessman and playboyRafael Vives is bedazzled by Amy's beautyandinstantly decides she must be his new mistress!Showered with jewels and gifts, Amy knowsshe shou...
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Cathy Williams
Philip Thomas TuckerWomen in the United States military have received more recognition than ever in recent years, but women also played vital roles in battles and campaigns of previous generations. Ca...
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The Wedding Night Debt
Cathy Williams & Amanda CinelliShe owes him a wedding night…and he will collect! Billionaire Dio Ruiz's convenient union was meant to secure two things: vengeance and the enticing Lucy Bishop. But from thei...
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The Uncompromising Italian
Cathy WilliamsThe Italian you can't say "no" to To stop a threat to expose his greatest secret, billionaire Alessio Baldini needs the very best. Lesley Fox's name is on everyone's lips, and...
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His Christmas Acquisition
Cathy WilliamsThere's only one item left on entrepreneur Ryan Sheppard's Christmas listsomething scandalous for his buttonedup secretary…It seems that disapproving Jamie Powell is the only woman...
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Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen
Sarah Bird"You'll be swept away by the passion and power of this remarkable, trailblazing woman who risked everything to follow her own heart." – Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestsellin...
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Taken by Her Greek Boss
Cathy WilliamsNick Papaeliou dates beautiful women, so his attraction to frumpy Rose is a mystery. Maybe it's because she's not falling at his feet!Rose wants to detest her arrogant Greek boss, ...
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Consequences of Their Wedding Charade
Cathy WilliamsFrom fake relationship to baby bombshell! Lose yourself in this unforgettable pregnancy romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Cathy Williams. The deal: a date with the tycoon...
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Escape To London
Mary Jane StaplesAustria, 1938. Anne von Korvacs watches in horror as Hitler's tanks roll through the streets of Vienna, amid crowds of cheering supporters. Her embittered exhusband, now a fervent ...
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SLEEPING WITH THE BOSS
Cathy WilliamsSeduction on the agenda!Victor Temple didn't want the complication of a lovesick secretary, so quiet, efficient Alice was the ideal assistant. He trusted her, paid her well, but wa...
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Cruel Enchantment
Janine AshblessCruel Enchantment is a stunning collection of unique and breathtakingly beautiful erotic fairy tales. Winged demonesses, otherworldly lovers and a dragon with an enormous sexual ap...
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A Scandalous Engagement
Cathy WilliamsJade just couldn't convince millionaire businessman Curtis Greene that she wasn't a gold digger pursuing his younger brother's fortune. Especially as Curtis had returned to his fam...
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Harvest Moon
Judith SaxtonIt is 1926. In the Birmingham slums, Foxy Lockett, a sharpwitted orphan girl, has a burning desire to better herself. So when she helps with the hoppicking at Beeswing Farm in Here...
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Julia Best of Band 234
Cathy WilliamsPALMEN IM TROPENWINDPalmenstrände und blaues Meer Melissa ist hingerissen! Zusammen mit ihrem Chef, dem brillanten Geschäftsmann Robert Downe, reist sie in die Karibik. Drei Jahre...
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THE BABY VERDICT
Cathy WilliamsAssignment: baby?Jessica had tried hard to play down her attractiveness at work. She wasn't interested in office affairs, or so she thought until company boss Bruno Carr personally...
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Claiming His Cinderella Secretary
Cathy WilliamsSun, sea and forbidden passion with the boss are waiting for Cinderella in this workplace romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Cathy Williams.Dangerously tempted……into his fiv...
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A Spanish Birthright
Cathy WilliamsWhen plainJane Alex McGuire indulged in an innocent flirtation with a staggeringly perfect stranger, she never expected their paths to cross again.Meek and dowdy Alex was the ideal...
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CHARADE OF THE HEART
Cathy WilliamsA Passionate Pretense…"I can do without being known as someone who has a tramp for a secretary."Now that wasn't fair! Marcos Adrino might have been taken in by Beth's impersonation...
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The Gifts of Reading
Robert Macfarlane, William Boyd, Candice Carty-Williams, Chigozie Obioma, Philip Pullman, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina Nayeri, Michael Ondaatje, David Pilling, Max Porter, Alice Pung, Jancis Robinson, SF Said, Madeleine Thien, Salley Vickers, John Wood & Markus ZusakWith contributions by: William Boyd, Candice CartyWilliams, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Robert Macfarlane, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina...
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Expecting His Billion-Dollar Scandal
Cathy WilliamsA passionate fling leads to carrying the billionaire’s baby! USA TODAY bestselling author Cathy Williams delights with this pregnancy romance, inspired by the classic fairy tale, T...
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From Prim to Improper
Cathy WilliamsElizabeth Jones thought she was meeting her father for the first time. But ruthless tycoon Andreas Nicolaides has other plans for this frumpy arrival on his doorstep! Isn't Elizabe...
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A SUITABLE MISTRESS
Cathy WilliamsMistress material?Dane Sutherland was rich, powerful and sinfully gorgeous. He had it allbut he wanted more! He wanted Suzanne…and she was equally determined not to fall into his a...
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Catch Me Before I Fall
Rosie ChildsBecause she was black, Clare Malone was the talk of her Liverpool council estate. Her mother and her mother's husband were both white and from birth she was stigmatised for this pr...
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The Truth Behind his Touch
Cathy WilliamsWomen always jump at the click of his fingers…don’t they? Hot and flustered from the sweltering Milan heat, Caroline Rossi steps into the sleek offices of Giancarlo de Vitoonly to ...
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Hired by the Forbidden Italian
Cathy WilliamsIn this workplace romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Cathy Williams, is resisting their attraction futile? On the tycoon’s yacht…There’s no escape from temptation! Urgentl...
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Being Sam Frears
Mary MountThis is Sam Frears' story.This is also the story of an actor, a rockclimber and a man born with an extremely rare genetic disorder only affecting Ashkenazi Jews. Sam was supposed t...
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Bestsellerautorin Cathy Williams
Cathy WilliamsGEHEIMNIS EINER TROPENNACHTRose hat sich geschworen, standhaft zu bleiben! Aber der attraktive Nick Papaeliou setzt alles daran, sie zu verführen. Beharrlich lautet Roses Antwort N...
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UNWILLING SURRENDER
Cathy Williams"I'm immune to male charm and good looks!"That was what Christina told herselfand Adam Palmer had more than his fair share of both qualities…as Christina knew only too well, having...
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A Tempestuous Temptation
Cathy WilliamsWhen you’re caught in a snowstorm, there’s only one way to warm up…An outrageous accusation of being a fortunehunter is Aggie’s excruciating introduction to billionaire L...
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The Italian Wedding
Nicky PellegrinoTwo feuding families, two love stories and a lot of delicious Italian food.Pieta Martinelli's sister is getting married. Since she is a bridal designer it falls to her to make th...
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The Boy in the Attic
David MaloneIreland 1973: a very different world. But a tiny village in County Dublin was about to lose its innocence for ever. On a bright and sunny June afternoon, a sevenyearold boy was lef...
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The Boy in the Cupboard
Shane DunphyThree heartstopping stories of children trapped by their parents' pasts ... Craig, the little boy who can't speak English, isn't allowed to use his real name and hides food around ...
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The Secret Sinclair
Cathy WilliamsShe didn't mean to fall for a notorious playboy, but Sarah Scott's head was overruled by Raoul's skillful seduction. Yet after he jets out of her life Raoul's legacy continues.… Sa...
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Her Impossible Boss
Cathy WilliamsNot quite what the tycoon ordered…Successful New York businessman Matt Strickland expects nothing but the very best. However, his newest employeenanny Tess Kellyis a world away fro...