Cathay Williams is certainly a trailblazer of sorts and for more than just being the The FIRST African American Woman In The US. Army. She is also the ONLY woman to have ever served posing as a man, she went by the name William Cathay.
Here is some info about this extraordinary woman from Wikipedia
Early years
Williams was born in Independence, Missouri to a free man of color 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 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 November 15,1866 at St. Louis, Missouri for a three year engagement, passing herself off as a man. She was assigned to the 38th infantry. 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.
Absolutely amazing! Below is a little further reading so you can learn more about this awesome woman:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay_Williams
http://web.archive.org/web/20080616094119/http://www.goarmy.com/bhm/profiles_williams.jsp
http://www.buffalosoldier.net/CathayWilliamsFemaleBuffaloSoldierWithDocuments.htm
As a female veteran, I believe Cathay William’s story is an extraordinary story that should be told, but I do not believe your statement that she is the ONLY woman to have served pretending to be a man is true. You dishonor those women by this statement.