In the battle , U.S. Marines , under the overall command of U.S. Major General Alexander Vandegrift , repulsed an attack by the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade , under the command of Japanese Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi . The Marines were defending the Lunga perimeter that guarded Henderson Field on Guadalcanal , which was captured from the Japanese by the Allies in landings on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 . Kawaguchi 's unit was sent to Guadalcanal in response to the Allied landings with the mission of recapturing the airfield and driving the Allied forces from the island .