Rain in the Face’s Account of Custer’s Last Stand

Rain in the Face, a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux chief, was more than a battlefield legend – he was a man with a story sharpened by pain, pride, and vengeance. Standing nearly 5 foot 9 and weighing 195 pounds, he had an imposing presence and an equally fierce reputation. Soldiers feared his name, and rival tribes like the Rees and Crows reportedly checked their scalps each morning when he was near. But behind the myth was a man shaped by personal loss and relentless drive, especially when it came to his grudge against General Custer.

A Dare and a Vow

Two years before the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn, Rain in the Face was challenged in a moment of teasing by a young woman. She dared him to kill a white man – an act that would demonstrate his fearlessness and strength. Fueled by anger and pride, he took on the task. He rode to Fort Lincoln and, after two days of waiting, ambushed and killed two white men – a storekeeper and a horse doctor. He cut buttons from their uniforms as trophies. The girl who had mocked him sewed them to her shawl in tribute. But this act would come at a cost.

Captured and Chained

Rain in the Face returned to Standing Rock, only to be ambushed and captured by soldiers for his earlier attack. Denied rations and surrounded, he was shackled and carted to Fort Lincoln. There, he was imprisoned in harsh conditions – chains on his legs, a single blanket, and snow drifting through the cracks in the walls. In an attempted humiliation, soldiers briefly released him and dared him to run. But Rain in the Face, suspecting they planned to shoot him as he fled, instead issued a chilling warning: he would find the one who set him free and cut out his heart.

An Escape and a Promise

Eventually, Rain in the Face escaped with the help of a white prisoner. Though his companion was recaptured, Rain made his way back to Sitting Bull and Gaul. He sent a grim reminder to the soldier who taunted him, a buffalo skin painted with a bloody heart, and vowed to fulfill his promise. When their paths crossed again, Rain claimed he kept that vow.

Misrepresentations of Battle

Later, Rain in the Face saw a drawing of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which showed Native warriors on horseback using bows and arrows while the soldiers fought gallantly with sabers. He laughed. “This picture is a lie,” he said. The truth, he explained, was much grittier. The Native warriors had firearms, revolvers, and war clubs. The soldiers’ guns often jammed, and the battlefield was strewn with discarded weapons. Tied to their ponies and painted for war, the Lakota fought in a coordinated and ruthless fashion.

Preparing for Battle

Before the fighting began, Sitting Bull made powerful medicine and promised victory. He did not participate in the battle itself, leaving command to Gaul. The Lakota, Cheyenne, and other bands set decoy lodges and concealed their real positions along the riverbank. Estimates of their numbers vary, but Rain in the Face claimed there were at least 1,000 lodges – perhaps 4,000 to 6,000 warriors and family members altogether.

The Fatal Split

Custer made a fatal mistake when he split his forces. Gaul led a large group of warriors upriver to intercept part of the regiment, while Rain in the Face stayed back to confront the scouts and the group led by “Long Yellow Hair” – Custer himself. Young warriors flanked the cavalry from behind, cutting off their retreat. The soldiers fell back quickly under fire. With every fourth man holding the horses, their formation became vulnerable.

A Wave of Resistance

The Native forces struck like a crashing wave. First, they targeted the men holding the horses, then stampeded the animals by waving blankets. Exhausted cavalry horses were no match for the swift ponies of the Lakota. Women followed the battle, capturing horses and stripping the wounded.

Rain in the Face rode into the heart of the fray. He recounted charging into the field, clubbing a flag bearer, and stealing the cavalry’s banner. Even after being thrown when his pony was shot, he leapt up and kept fighting. He mounted a new horse, soaked in blood, and charged again.

A Vow Fulfilled

Amidst the chaos, Rain in the Face saw the soldier he called “Little Hair” – likely Tom Custer, George’s brother. Remembering his vow, Rain charged. He shot Little Hair and dismounted. In a moment of grim resolve, he claimed to have cut out the man’s heart, bitten a piece of it, and spit it back at him. Whether this account is metaphorical or literal is impossible to confirm, but it reveals the depth of his hatred and the culture of revenge.

Aftermath and Celebration

Rain in the Face did not return to the battlefield after that moment. Others finished the work – stripping soldiers, scalping them, and gathering trophies. Interestingly, Custer’s body was never definitively identified, adding to the mystery. That night, the Lakota held a grand scalp dance. Sitting Bull claimed credit, saying his medicine had made them brave, but Gaul challenged him, noting that it was their physical fighting that secured the victory.

Legacy and Reflection

Rain in the Face remained a defiant figure long after the battle. He followed no chief, held to his own code, and eventually crossed into Canada to escape the U.S. Army. He returned only when Sitting Bull did. In old age, he could still cut an intimidating figure, resembling the stoic, noble warrior of legend. Though many questioned his morality, one thing remained constant: he always kept his promises. His account offers one of the few firsthand insights into what really happened on that infamous day in 1876, peeling away the myths to show the fury, strategy, and blood-soaked resolve that brought down Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

Rain in the Face never confirmed whether he killed Custer. “I don’t know. No one knows,” he said. “It was like fighting in the dark.”