The 9th Infantry Regiment had planned Task Force Manchu on orders from the 2nd Division commander Major General Laurence B. Keiser , which in turn had received instructions from Eighth United States Army commander Lieutenant General Walton Walker for aggressive patrolling . Keiser decided the patrol should cross the river at the Paekchin ferry . The 9th Infantry reserve , E Company , reinforced with one section of light machine guns from H Company , was to be the attack force . The 1st Platoon , 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion , was to transport it across the river in assault boats the night of August 31 . Two heavy weapons companies , D and H , were each to furnish one section of heavy machine guns , one section of 81 @-@ mm. mortars , and one section of 75 @-@ mm. recoilless rifles for supporting fires . A platoon of 4 @.@ 2 @-@ inch mortars was also to give support .