James S. Rains | |
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 | |
| Birth name | James Spencer Rains |
| Born | October 2, 1817 Tennessee (probably Warren County), US |
| Died | May 19, 1880 (aged 62) Kaufman County, Texas, US |
| Buried | 32°39′19.5″N 96°33′23.0″W / 32.655417°N 96.556389°W |
| Allegiance | Missouri (Confederate) |
| Service/ | Missouri State Guard |
| Years of service | 1861–1862, 1864 |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
| Commands held | 8th Division, Missouri State Guard |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Relations | Emory Rains (brother) |
James S. Rains (October 2, 1817 – May 19, 1880) was a senior officer of the Missouri State Guard (MSG) who fought in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Tennessee, Rains moved to Missouri by 1840, and was a farmer, politician, judge, and militia officer. He also served as an Indian agent from 1845 to 1849, and participated in the California Gold Rush. He was appointed to command of the 8th Division of the MSG in May 1861, and may have commanded all MSG forces at the Battle of Carthage later that year. In August, his men were routed at the Battle of Dug Springs, an incident which became known as "Rains's Scare".
He saw further action in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Lexington, and Pea Ridge in 1861 and 1862. Despite being a militia officer and not part of the Confederate States Army, he commanded Confederate troops in late 1862 before being removed from command for incompetence and drunkenness. After his removal from command, he moved to Texas, where his brother, Emory Rains, resided. In 1864, he recruited in Missouri during Price's Missouri Expedition, taking his men to Arkansas after that campaign failed. After the war ended, he remained in Texas, where he gained prominence as a farmer and was involved in the Grange movement and the Greenback Party, losing the 1878 election for Lieutenant Governor of Texas as a Greenback candidate. While campaigning for the Greenbacks in the 1880 United States presidential election, he died on May 19, of apoplexy.