The French withdrawal prompted an exodus of militia from the American camp. News also arrived that a relief force was being organized by the British in New York, so Sullivan decided to withdraw from Aquidneck Island. Newport's British commander Major General Robert Pigot led his forces out of Newport in pursuit and engaged the American forces on August 29 in the Battle of Rhode Island. The battle was tactically inconclusive in its outcome. The British failed to overwhelm the American force, which continued its orderly retreat from the island.