Elbert, now joined by General Howe, continued on and occupied Fort Tonyn, which had been deserted by the British. It was here that problems began to arise. Houston and Howe were unable to agree on who would lead the continentals in the invasion and the rebel naval commander, Commodore Oliver Bowen, refused to subordinate himself to the Army. This, along with the lack of surprise and widespread illness among the troops, caused the invaders to be halted in a battle at a place called Alligator Bridge. General Howe announced that "our principal objective has been accomplished" and returned his troops to Georgia. Although the skirmishes between the Patriots and the Loyalists continued, the 1778 expedition was the last of Georgia’s attempts to throw the British out of Florida.