WASHINGTON 鈥� Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been getting flak for some fact-free statements lately, and the latest appears to be one that he made without opening his mouth.
On the Trump National Golf Course, on Lowes Island in Sterling, Virginia, a marker near the 15th聽tee commemorates the Civil War historical significance of the spot, .
鈥淢any great American soldiers, both of the North and South, died at this spot,鈥� the inscription reads. 鈥淭he casualties were so great that the water would turn red and thus became known as 鈥楾he River of Blood.鈥欌��
Not so much, local historians say.
鈥淣o. Uh-uh. No way. Nothing like that ever happened there,鈥� Richard Gillespie, the executive director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association, tells The Times. Alana Blumenthal, the curator of the Loudoun Museum, in Leesburg, says the same thing. A third historian says he wrote to the Trump organization to correct the record, but didn鈥檛 give his name, not wanting to upset the Trump group.
Contacted by The Times, Trump鈥檚 argument was a bit less certain than the plaque. 鈥淭hat 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 鈥� a lot of them.鈥� Told of the historians who disproved his assertion, Trump replied, 鈥淗ow would they know that? Were they there?鈥�
The Times says that Trump told them 鈥渘umerous historians鈥� told him the spot鈥檚 history jibed with his version. He later said they had talked to 鈥渕y people.鈥� In neither case did he give any names.
Finally, he told the Times reporter, 鈥淲rite your story the way you want to write it. You don鈥檛 have to talk to anybody. It doesn鈥檛 make any difference. But many people were shot. It makes sense.鈥�
