Saturday, September 01, 2018

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird, a novel about the only female Buffalo Soldier

Many historical novels celebrate strong women whose accomplishments went unheralded in their time. Cathy Williams, the first black woman to serve in the U.S. Army, is a prime example.

Bird’s (Above the East China Sea, 2014) fictionalized version of her life begins in 1864, when Yankee general Philip Sheridan burns the Missouri plantation where she is enslaved and takes her as “contraband” to become his cook’s assistant. Cathy is proud of her illustrious African heritage, and her witty voice and down-to-earth honesty enliven her lengthy tale.

After Appomattox, declining a traditional feminine role, she dresses as a man and enlists as “William Cathay.” Bird’s meaty epic provides abundant, intimate details about Cathy’s life as a Buffalo Soldier: her patrols on the western frontier; the racism of her unit’s white commanding officer; and the harassment she endures from her fellow soldiers, who find her self-protective modesty unnatural. She’s also secretly attracted to her fair-minded sergeant.

“If you don’t push, you never move ahead,” she notes, determining never to be unfree again. An admiring novel about a groundbreaking, mentally tough woman.

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen will be published next week by St. Martin's Press; I wrote this review for Booklist's August issue.  Read more about Cathy (sometimes also called Cathay) Williams at the National Park Service website, though be alert to possible spoilers about the basic outline of her life and service.

6 comments:

  1. This sounds well worth checking out. She wasn’t the only woman to dress as a man and fight in the Civil War, though.

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    1. You're right - there were a number of women who disguised themselves as men and fought in the war. Cathy Williams' service in male uniform began after the Civil War ended, in 1866, so she doesn't really fit with that illustrious group - although she experienced some of the same problems with concealing her gender.

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  2. The tumultuous period directly after the Civil War often gets overlooked. This sounds like a strong novel that sheds light on a little known aspect of the antebellum years.

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    1. It is, and it's true about it being a place and time that doesn't get much coverage. Cathy's story deserves to be more widely known.

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  3. I've got this one. Thanks for the review.

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