Historians have thoroughly disputed the historical accuracy of this claim. There are no records of a significant battle or casualties occurring at that exact spot. The known major battle in that area that resulted in heavy casualties is the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, which took place about 11 miles upriver and is already designated as a National Historic Landmark. The only noteworthy deaths recorded near the golf course itself were two Union soldiers killed by citizens in 1861, but this is far from the mass casualty event suggested by the plaque.
Trump defended the plaque’s message by saying the site was a prime crossing during the Civil War and that many soldiers “were shot—a lot of them,” though he never produced credible historical evidence to support the claim. Historians and local experts have labeled the “River of Blood” plaque and its associated story as a fabrication. And the urban legend says a lot about character, whether facts matter.