The following year, Sardinian General Dellera wanted to occupy Briga Alta northeast of Saorgio, but De Vins overruled him. However, Dellera convinced the army commander to position an Austrian force at Dego to the east. On 6 April 1794, French General Pierre Jadart Dumerbion launched an offensive which seized the port of Oneglia on the 9th. Argenteau attempted to organize a defense at Ormea but the French captured that town on 18 April and Garessio the next day. With Saorgio outflanked on the east, De Vins advised Colli to hold the position but to send back other forces not needed for immediate defense. Meanwhile, the Austrian force at Dego failed to send any help. Relations between the Allies were so poor at this time that some Piedmontese officers believed that De Vins had betrayed their nation. The Battle of Saorgio took place on 24 April and also included clashes at the Col Ardente on the 24th and Briga on the 27th. The French seized Saorgio on 28 April after Colli withdrew. By early May he abandoned the Col de Tende and fell back nearly to the fortress of Cuneo. On the coast, the French advanced to seize Albenga and Loano.