“Hold My Horse” Review

By Joe Bordonaro · Originally published February 2020 · p. 7

From left to right, Sean Sklye as Lt. Ambrose, Christian Stolte as Gen. Richardson, and Patrick Webb as Lt. Crowley appear in a scene from Hold My Horse.

Humor is notably lacking in most movies and videos pertaining to the Civil War. In part, of course, that is due to the extremely serious nature of that conflict. But even in the deadliest events, there are times of humor, and “Hold My Horse” (Look Around You Ventures, 2018), illustrates one of those times. Based on an account of an actual event recorded by Daniel Crotty, Color Sergeant, 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry, the short (under 9 minutes running time) video tells the story of the comeuppance of an arrogant young officer seeking to curry favor with General Israel Richardson. General Richardson, ably portrayed by veteran actor Christian Stolte, who has appeared in “Chicago Fire” and “Public Enemies,” decides to teach this snippety young shavetail a lesson, but does it with humor instead of a severe dressing down. The costuming and set decoration are first rate, and the acting is as well. Twenty-two living historians added authenticity to the depiction of soldiers in camp. Music performed by the Sons of

Temperance and the 105th OVI Fife and Drum, as well as some expert bugling, is also used very effectively. I highly recommend it to all audiences, but, of course, those of us who are interested in the Civil War will find it of particular interest. The video is available from Vimeo and can be rented for $3, or purchased for $5 at:

“Hold My Horse” Review — photograph 2 from the original article

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ holdmyhorse Joe Bordonaro is a USAF veteran (1973–1977), Glassboro State College graduate (1980), Catholic school teacher (St. Joseph’s ProCathedral, 1983–1988), and retired public school teacher (Mullica Township School, 1988–2009). He has been involved with Civil War reenacting/living history since 1999. Joe began submitting articles to the Civil War News in 2005 and has been covering events for the News on a regular basis since 2016. Joe lives in Mount Laurel, NJ, and has been married to his wife Karen for 31 years. If you wish to contact Joe, you may send an email to [email protected].