Regimentals

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Saturday, April 02, 2022

A Cedar Creek (Va.) battlefield snake killer and Louie the boar

Jesse Rudolph, farmer and snake killer.

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Meet Jesse Rudolph, who farms hallowed ground with his dad and once woke up to a five-foot black snake next to his bed in the historic house he leases on the battlefield. That’s one of the perils of living at the circa-1780s Dinges place, used as a hospital during the battle on Oct. 19, 1864, which happens to be Mrs. B’s birthday. (But not the same year!)

Louie. What a boar.
Jesse was alerted to my presence by the yapping of his dogs, Stella and Hank. During our brief visit, he lamented the development in the area. Pitiless bulldozers have destroyed many battlefield acres throughout Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, so that’s why your support of preservation organizations such as the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is so important. Nearby, a housing development sprouted up recently on hallowed Cedar Creek ground.

Ugh.

Jesse and I also discussed snakes.

“Black snakes have germs in their mouth,” he said. “They’re disgusting little animals.” Jesse has been known to dispatch the beasts with firepower. So beware, black snakes. I also had the pleasure of meeting Louie, Jesse’s 325-pound wild boar. Now I’m not exactly positive he’s a boar—I usually skipped the “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” show on TV as a kid—but the animal is definitely in the hog and pig family. I can confirm, however, meeting many other bores during my journalism career. Louie’s gleaming, white tusks must impress his dentist. The animal, however, refused an interview request.

“What does Louie eat?” I asked.

“Whatever he wants.”

At the Battle of Cedar Creek, Phil Sheridan mounted his grand counter-attack against the Rebs near Jesse’s place. As Nick the Guide took me to another secluded battlefield location, I silently cursed those damn black snakes and shot an image of the field where the Yankees advanced.

Until next time, Jesse, Stella, Hank and Louie.

Phil Sheridan’s grand Cedar Creek counter-attack occurred here.
This once was battlefield.

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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous7:07 PM

    While I normally greatly enjoy your articles I was quite disappointed in this one. Unfortunately the farmer is incorrect in his assumptions of black rat snakes (eastern rat snakes); they pose very little risk of infection if they bite, certainly no more than any other non-venomous snake, and bites from non-venomous snakes pose very little risk of infection at all. (See H.G. Weed 1994 study on the subject). The risk is so low in fact prophylactic antibiotics is not recommended. Snakes are an important part of the ecosystem, and rat snakes in particular are very beneficial to have around as their main food source is rats, an animal with a long history of spreading disease. Its sad to hear how this farmers ignorance has such a negative impact on their population.

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