Unfortunately "William Cathay's" enlistment documents show that he/she was 5' 9", so the wearing of an undersize Zouave uniform is unlikely. I did find an analysis of all known documentation about her done for the NPS. There were a number of inconsistencies in her story. The author clearly wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt but it was acknowledged that there was no way to know for certain if the woman claiming to be Cathy Williams actually was the "William Cathay" who served. If she did indeed serve, it is entirely likely that in her older years she recalled the Zouave uniforms worn by her regiment's band, and thus the reference to Zouave clothing. Since the museum wishes to portray her as a Missouri African American woman who served in the army, and there is no definite evidence to prove that she did not (the US Pension office denied her pension request on medical grounds, not on the grounds of illegal enlistment), I intend to depict her in regulation uniform with a Zouave-dressed bandsman in the background.

Thanks for your interest.