The History Channel tweeted out a picture on Monday of George Washington to celebrate the Battle of Gettysburg.
If that doesn’t seem wrong to you, you need to seriously brush up on your American History.
The Gettysburg battle was in 1863. The first president died in 1799.
The inaccurate tweet remained on the network’s feed for at least six hours after being posted, TheWrap observed.
https://twitter.com/HISTORY/status/881852286036783104
It features an image of then-General George Washington in July of 1775, assuming command of the Continental Army in Cambridge, MA.
Washington commanded the American Army in several battles. Unfortunately for History’s social media team, Gettysburg occurred 64 years after his death. Many Twitter users were quick to mock the tweet, with one user saying, “The only Revolutionary War general to fight in the Civil War.”
Another Twitter user added, “If you look closely you can see Brian Williams there too!”
The actual Battle of Gettysburg was fought from Jul 1-3 in Gettysburg, Penn. It involved the largest number of casualties in the Civil War and is widely considered a turning point because Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was defeated. Nearly 50,000 soldiers lost their lives in the battle.
“My history is a little rusty, but I don’t think George Washington was at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War,” another Twitter user wrote.
Later in 1863, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address during the dedication of a new national cemetery at the site of the battle.
Here is a screenshot of the History Channel’s incorrect tweet, you know, in case they ever decide to delete it:
