On the morning of June 22, 1813, during the War of 1812, British naval and marine forces under the command of Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren landed at Hoffler Creek. American armed militia under the command of Gen. Robert B. Taylor blocked the British advance, brought them under heavy artillery fire, and caused them to retreat. Approximately 200 British soldiers were killed, four to five barges were sunk, and the "Centipede" was taken along with 22 prisoners. Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the Gosport Navy Yard, now the Norfolk Naval Yard, were saved from capture.