A plaque that reads “The River of Blood” sits at the base of a flagpole between the 14th and 15th hole at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015. The historical accuracy that “American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot” has been called into question by historians.
(August 20, 2017)
“How would they know that? Were they there?” Trump challenged local historians in 2015 . The conversation continues surrounding a 2015 report on the factual inaccuracy of a plaque that stands featured in Northern Virginia at Donald Trump’s National Golf Club (Sterling, VA). The debate has resurfaced in light of the president’s controversial remarks about the violent weekend that took place recently in Charlottesville – and his tweets about preserving Civil War memorabilia. No date is given on the plaque as to when the reported battle took place.
The New York Times story, published with the headline “In Renovation of Golf Club, Donald Trump Also Dressed Up History,” historians disputed the veracity of a plaque that sits between the 14th hole and the 15th tee of one of the club’s two courses. The plaque was easily seen during Round 3 of the Senior PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club on May 27,
The conversation continues surrounding a 2015 report on the factual inaccuracy of a plaque that stands featured in Northern Virginia at Donald Trump’s National Golf Club (Sterling, VA). The debate has resurfaced in light of the president’s controversial remarks about the violent weekend that took place in Charlottesville – and his tweets about preserving Civil War memorabilia. No date is given on the plaque as to when the reported battle took place. The New York Times story, published with the headline “In Renovation of Golf Club, Donald Trump Also Dressed Up History,” historians disputed the veracity of a plaque that sits between the 14th hole and the 15th tee of one of the club’s two courses. The plaque was easily seen during Round 3 of the Senior PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club on May 27, 2017 in Sterling, Virginia.
The plaque is attached to a flagpole, on a stone pedestal, overlooking a stunning view of the Potomac River. It reads: “Many great American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot. The casualties were so great that the water would turn red and thus became known as ‘The River of Blood.’ It is my great honor to have preserved this important section of the Potomac River!” Beneath the inscription is the Trump family crest along with Donald Trump’s full name: Donald John Trump.
The plaque purportedly designates that portion of the Potomac as “The River of Blood.” Three historians asserted that no such battle or designation has ever been given to that spot, according to the NY Times story. “No. Uh-uh. No way. Nothing like that ever happened there,” Richard Gillespie, the executive director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association, told the Times. “The only thing that was remotely close to that” was something that took place 11 miles up the river. The conflict there was known as the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, took place in 1861 and involved several hundred deaths on the Union side.
Adamant about the accuracy of the plaque, however, Trump told the publication that he was certain the area was “a prime site for river crossings. So if people are crossing the river, and you happen to be in a civil war, I would say that people were shot – a lot of them.”
The closest historic spot where crossings took place during the Civil War is indeed not too far from Trump’s club, but according to the historians, no one died in a crossing at that point, or in any other notable battle in the nearby area. The real estate mogul retorted: “How would they know that? Were they there?” A self-professed “big history fan,” Trump was unable to name the historians who he claimed had told him that the site was known as the River of Blood. On Tuesday, Trump issued a trio of tweets denouncing protesters attempting to fell statues and monuments of Confederate leaders from the Civil War era. 
