At the age of 21, he volunteered for the War of 1812 and was commissioned as a sailing master on October 21, 1812. He was a sailing master on the , which interdicted British ships in the English Channel. The "Argus" seized more than 20 vessels before being captured on August 14, 1813; her captain was killed, and the crew, including Levy, were taken prisoner. They were imprisoned by Great Britain for sixteen months until the end of the war. During his captivity, Levy had difficulty obtaining a subsidy and parole because his status as a supernumerary was not understood by the British Transport Board.