At the urging of President Madison, Congress declared war with Great Britain on June 18th, 1812. In August the governor of Virginia called up the militia in preparation for the defense of the Commonwealth. Governor Barbour ordered the first contingent, known as Lucas and Wills regiment to march from Richmond and proceed directly to Norfolk.

Robert B. Taylor was placed in command of the forces in the Hampton Roads area with his headquarters at Fort Norfolk. United States regular forces present at the fort when the war started were quickly sent to the northern front which left Norfolk and Portsmouth virtually defenseless. Governor Barbour decided to rotate Virginia militia units through Fort Norfolk for training and to man the forts in the area. Within six months the vunerability of the area would be realized with the arrival of the British blockading force.

In February of 1813 the first of his majesties forces arrived off the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Using the Lynnhaven Bay as an anchorage, the British were able to effectively limit shipping into and out of the bay. This anchorage allowed easy access to the main shipping channels into and out of the Chesapeake Bay.

As the British were arriving at the mouth of the bay, the USS Constellation, 44 guns, was making a run for the open ocean from Baltimore, Maryland. Upon sighting the fleet, the captain of the Constellation put the ship about and made all sail for Norfolk. Two British frigates took up the chase but retreated when the Constellation came within the range of guns at Fort Norfolk. Due to the effectiveness of the British Blockade, the USS Constellation spent the entire War of 1812 in the harbor at Norfolk.