Fascinating Women Who Posed as Men to Do a ‘Man’s Job’

Cathay Williams

Williams was the first African-American woman to enlist in the U.S. Army and did so disguised as a man. Identifying as William Cathay, she marched through cities as a soldiers but it’s not clear if she fought in the Civil War. After serving in the military, Williams worked as a seamstress and gave an interview in which a narrative of her achievements were published in the “The St. Louis Daily Times” in 1876.