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True West Magazine
The legacy of Gen. George Forsyth’s leadership in the famous battle remains controversial over 150 years later.
George “Sandy” Forsyth was a hard-charging cavalry officer tough, brave and aggressive. He was also stubborn to a fault and willing to push his men to the limits of their endurance. Forsyth compiled an impressive combat record during the Civil War, but it was as an Indian fighter that he earned his fame and became known as the “Hero of Beecher Island.” In many ways, Forsyth was a hero, but some of his heroics occurred because of the bull-headed tactics that placed him and his men in desperate situations.
As we recognize Black History Month across our community and our nation, thanks to Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History week, a precursor to Black History Month, I would like to call your attention to two ladies and a few black men of the old West who are a bit obscure in U.S. history.
The first being Pvt. Cathay Williams, who joined the Army for a three year enlistment as a man, in 1867 as Pvt. William Cathay. It was a time when all women were prohibited from joining the military. While the records are unclear, apparently, the Army was such need or haste for soldiers to support the expanding west of the Mississippi River post civil war, a normal military physical was over looked. Pvt. Cathay Williams was a large woman, 5 feet, 8 inches and weighing about 160, short hair and very physically fit in appearance.