Fake Memorial: President Trump's 'River Of Blood' Civil War Battle Never Really Happened

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — President Donald Trump's favorite golf course has a memorial to a particularly vicious Civil War battle, one so deadly that a plaque marking the site of the conflict on the banks of the Potomac tells how the water turned so red it became a "River of Blood."

The plaque includes, of course, a quote from Donald Trump: "It is my great honor to have preserved this section of the Potomac River!"

One historical flaw about that battle: It never really happened.

The plaque, the battle, the casualties, the River of Blood: All fake.

The "River of Blood" memorial at Trump's golf course on Lowes Island in Loudoun County, just a few miles from the White House and a favorite location of the 45th president, first came to light during the early stages of Trump's campaign in 2015.

The memorial is located between the 14th and 15th hole. It is a stone pedestal with a flagpole on it with the following inscription: "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.'" Then the quote from Donald Trump.

The only fatal event on Lowes Island during the Civil War, though, was the killing of two soldiers by citizens in 1861. Confederate Gen. Jeb Stuart once led 5,000 Confederate soldiers at Rowser's Ford near Lowes Island in 1863, but there was no record of fatalities there. The closest Civil War battle was the Battle of Ball's Bluff, which is 11 miles away.

Confronted about the plaque, Trump doubled-down on his claims without providing any evidence. (SIGN UP: Subscribe to a Virginia Patch News Alert and Newsletter. For DC readers, Get Patch’s daily newsletter and news alerts. Or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"That 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," he said according to a November 2015 New York Times report.

When Trump was told that local historians found the memorial to be complete fiction, he countered: "How would they know that? Were they there?"

Trump also reportedly said that numerous historians had told him about the River of Blood, but later backtracked and said his own people told him.

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What is also interesting about the plaque in light of recent events is that the memorial recognizes the "great" soldiers of the Confederacy, as well as the Union.

Similarly, Trump criticized "both sides" at Charlottesville, and even declined to mention white supremacy by name until days later under immense public pressure. Asked again after a more targeted statement that did mention white supremacy, he once again doubled-down on his sentiments that left-leaning activists protesting the Nazis were just as bad.

Watch: Trump Seemingly Doubles Down On Previous Statements About Charlottesville

His comments drew accolades from former KKK leader David Duke, who praised the president for "condemning the leftist terrorists." And it led to renewed public anger that Trump was giving aid and comfort to white supremacists via a Soviet-era propaganda strategy known as "whataboutism."

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. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)