dered by the charges against him, as the vic-
tims were killed on Sioux land and in what
the Indians deemed legitimate combat.
Nonetheless, he remained behind bars for
some time until a sympathetic guard facili-
tated his escape. In view of this humiliation,
Rain-in-the-Face vowed to kill Tom Custer if
the opportunity ever arose. Moreover, in ac-
cepted Sioux fashion, he declared his inten-
tion to tear out his heart and eat it.
By 1876, the discovery of large gold de-
posits in the Black Hills region proved to be a
catalyst for greater violence. That year the
U.S. government abrogated its agreement
with the Sioux and ordered the nomadic
tribes onto reservations. Prompt military ac-
tion would be the price for failing to comply.
Many Indians were cowed into submission,
but militant factions under Sitting Bull,
Crazy Horse, and Gall defiantly took to the
warpath. Rain-in-the-Face was among many
prominent Sioux warriors who distinguished
themselves at the unexpected victory at Little
Bighorn that June. Capt. Tom Custer was
among the slain, and his death has tradition-
ally been attributed to Rain-in-the-Face, but
the chief himself never made the claim. In
fact, Tom Custer’s body was mutilated by the
Indians after the battle, although his heart
was not removed. Nonetheless, noted poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized
the alleged incident with his poem “The Re-
venge of Rain-in-the-Face.”
During the course of Little Bighorn, Rain-
in-the-Face apparently sustained injuries that
left him crippled, and he subsequently accom-
panied Sitting Bull on his flight into Canada.
He remained exiled for four years before re-
turning to the United States and surrendering
his band to Gen. Nelson Miles at Fort Keogh,
Montana, in 1880. For all his bravado, Rain-in-
the-Face realized that the days of nomadic life
had ended for his people, and he advocated
peaceful change. He took up agriculture and
spent the remainder of his long life peacefully
at the Standing Rock Reservation. However,
when interviewed by Charles Eastman many
years later, some bitterness remained. “I
fought for my people and my country,” he de-
clared. “When we were conquered we re-
mained silent, as a warrior should. Rain-in-
the-Face was killed when he put down his
weapons before the Great Father. His spirit
was gone then; only this poor body lived on,
but now it is almost ready to lie down for the
last time.” The former warrior passed away
quietly in his sleep on September 14, 1905,
and was interred near Aberdeen, South
Dakota. The Sioux nation could always claim
large numbers of distinguished warriors, but
handsome, defiant Rain-in-the-Face was
among the most memorable.See also
Crazy Horse; Red Cloud; Sitting BullBibliography
Day, Carl. Tom Custer: Ride to Glory. Spokane: WA,
Arthur H. Clark, 2001; Eastman, Charles A. Indian
Heroes and Great Chieftains.Boston: Little, Brown,
1918; Gray, John S. “Custer Throws a Boomerang.”
Montana 11, no. 2 (1961): 2–12; Hudson, Tom. “The
Fight at Greasy Grass Creek.” High Country 20
(1972): 40–47; Lawrence, Elizabeth A. “A 7th Cavalry
Veterinarian, Custer, and Rain-in-the-Face: The Story
Behind the Legend.” Journal of the West32, no. 2
(1993): 66–76; Marquis, Thomas B. Rain-in-the-Face
and Curly the Crow.Hardin, MT: Custer Battle Mu-
seum, 1934.RAIN-IN-THE-FACE