What is Aquia Creek?
[[File:AquiaCreekLanding.jpg|thumb|right|250px|{{Center|Aquia Creek Landing in Union control in February 1863}}]] '''Aquia Creek''' ({{IPAc-en|pron|ɑː|'|k|w|aɪ|ə}}) is a {{convert|27.6|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823134302/https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2017-08-23 }}, accessed August 15, 2011</ref> [[tributary]] of the [[Tide|tidal]] portion of the [[Potomac River]] and is located in [[Northern Virginia]]. The creek's [[headwaters]] lie in [[southeast]]ern [[Fauquier County, Virginia|Fauquier County]], and it empties into the Potomac at Brent Point in [[Stafford County, Virginia|Stafford County]], {{convert|45|mi}} south of [[Washington, D.C.]] ==History== The [[Public Quarry at Government Island]] in the creek served as the source for [[Aquia Creek sandstone]]. This sandstone was used in numerous public [[building]]s. The most important of these public buildings was the first [[White House]] in Washington, DC. It was painted white for [[Symbolism|symbolic]] reasons. The [[National Capitol Columns]] were also [[Quarry|quarried]] at the Aquia Creek Public Quarry in the early 1800s. They were [[transport]]ed to Washington on a [[barge]].<ref name=aci-nb>{{cite web|title=A Capitol Idea|url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/columns.html|work=Official website|publisher=[[United States National Arboretum|The United States National Arboretum]]|access-date=1 May 2011|date=1 April 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110511093537/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/columns.html| archive-date= 11 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> In an early [[American Civil War]] [[skirmish]], the [[Battle of Aquia Creek]], three [[US]] [[gunboat]]s battled a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Artillery battery|shore battery]]. The skirmish took place from May 29, 1861 to June 1,