The British Naval Blockade and The Cape Henry Lighthouse

A Virginia Historical Highway Marker was erected in 2015 to read: 

“During the War of 1812, a British naval blockade along much of the U.S. East Coast disrupted foreign trade and interfered with commerce. On 4 Feb. 1813, the blockade was extended to the Chesapeake Bay. At that time, the light at the Cape Henry Lighthouse was extinguished to prevent British ships from using it as a navigational aid. The British attacked the lighthouse early in Feb. 1813, and thereafter British scouting parties often visited the area to obtain fresh water from local wells. On 14 July 1813, Capt. Richard Lawson of the Princess Anne militia captured 20 British marines nearby.”

Impressment of Americans into British service and the violation of American ships were among the causes of America’s War of 1812 with the British, which lasted until 1815. The British Royal Navy had impressed American civilian merchants since 1793. Seeking to put a stop to this treatment of American ships and sailors, the United States, under president James Madison, declared war in June of 1812.

From February 1813 to March 1815, Virginians suffered from a British naval blockade of the Chesapeake Bay and from British troops’ plundering the countryside by the Bay and along the James, Rappahannock, and Potomac rivers. On February 14, 1813 the Niles Weekly Register reported “February 13, of 1813 a band of veterans from a British squadron landed at the lighthouse on Cape Henry, and attacked the pantry and smokehouse of the Lighthouse Keeper. They captured his hams, minced pies and sausages after which they returned with flying colors to their ships.”

In response to the attacks, Albert Gallatin of the United States Treasury Department posted on March 19, 1813, “A notice is hereby given, that the lights of the lighthouse at Cape Henry, and also of all the other lighthouses in the Chesapeake, will be immediately extinguished.” 

Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison from his retirement home in Monticello, urging him to defend the coast and fight the British with gunboats. Jefferson additionally proposed using "the cheapest kind of labor" (slave labor) to build a canal between the Lynnhaven River and the James River. This canal would give the British an alternate route, steering them away from attacking along the Lynnhaven River. However, the canal was never completed due to the start of the Civil War. Furthermore, gun technology advanced, allowing American troops to shoot across the bay entrance. This eliminated the need for a fortification closer to the mouth of the bay.

W, Kevin. British Naval Blockade and Cape Henry Lighthouse/ War of 1812, HMdb.org. May 25th 2021. Accessed January 24th 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=94317.

The War of 1812, Museum of the American G.I. Accessed January 24th 2022. https://americangimuseum.org/war-of-1812/.

Cape Henry Lighthouse, Preservation Virginia. Accessed January 24th 2022. https://preservationvirginia.org/historic-sites/cape-henry-lighthouse/#:~:text=The%20distinctive%20Black%20and%20white,surrounding%20land%20to%20our%20care..