Trump Fondly Remembers the Fake Civil War Battle That Took Place on His Golf Course

[babylonsister]

Trump Fondly Remembers the Fake Civil War Battle That Took Place on His Golf Course

What do you mean you've never heard of the "River of Blood"?
By Jack Holmes
May 2, 2017


President Trump's American history credentials have rarely been questioned, except by anyone who knows even a modicum of history. So it was surprising on Monday when the president flubbed his take on the Civil War: the whole thing could have been avoided; President Andrew Jackson was upset by the war even though he died 16 years before it began; and why didn't anyone stop it, anyway? The incident prompted The New York Times to re-examine the president's past issues with history, including when he thought Frederick Douglass was still alive, and the time he bought a "fixer-upper" golf course that was once home to a Civil War battle site. Sort of.

The Times article links to the paper's 2015 report on the incident, which recounted how Trump bought the course in Virginia—now renamed the Trump National Golf Club—back in 2009, and got to work getting it up to The Trump Standard. That included building a flagpole along the river complete with a plaque commemorating the "River of Blood," a dramatic name for a harrowing event that never happened. But the plaque begged to differ:

via NYTimes

"Many great American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot," the inscription reads. "The casualties were so great that the water would turn red and thus became known as 'The River of Blood.'"

This actually sounds like it was dictated by Trump, who in a phone interview with the Times called himself "a big history fan." Reporters from the paper told him they'd spoken with multiple local historians, all of whom said there was no Civil War battle within 11 miles of the plaque. The exchange that followed was quintessentially Trumpian:

"That was a prime site for river crossings," Mr. Trump said. "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."

People crossed there, so surely, if there was a war, people were shot while crossing. It just makes sense. But he continued:

"How would they know that?" Mr. Trump asked when told that local historians had called his plaque a fiction. "Were they there?"

omg

more...

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a54842/trump-civil-war-river-of-blood/

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. This is now history that WILL Be taught at some schools.

I dont think people have grasped yet what actually happened on election day when on the ground Russian agents took control of voting machine apparatus at multiple locations.

[True Dough]

2. Alongside this one...

[jberryhill]

8. Revisionist history

They totally left out Andrew Jackson's response.

[True Dough]

9. I believe Jackson always let his cap do the talking...

[gratuitous]

3. The plaque contains standard Trumpspeak gibberish

"Many great American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot." Who? Got a list, pal? What made them "great"? Who calls it "The River of Blood"? {Citation missing} As usual, Trump can't just put up a flagpole; it has to be on a spot commemorating some grand event, even if it never actually, you know, happened.

[babylonsister]

4. The fact he has no problem

rewriting history because he's dt baffles me, but I guess that's the sense of entitlement he's had his whole life. One day I might just roll my eye balls out of my sockets.

[nolabear]

5. He just lies for fun.

[WinkyDink]

6. History will now be taught as "How would they know that? Were they there?"

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Must have heard it on Fox and Feins.