Arnold decided that, due to the battered condition of his fleet and the lack of ammunition, he would withdraw south to Fort Ticonderoga. His fleet was able to slip past the British on the night of October 11–12. The following morning the British fleet, surprised to find the Americans gone, initiated a pursuit. This pursuit lasted over the next two days. In the end, only one galley, two schooners, the sloop and one gunboat survived to reach the fort.(Nelson 2006:310ff) Although the battle was a defeat for the Americans, it ultimately paved the way for an American victory the next year at Saratoga.