 With the US 2nd Infantry Division , the Turkish Brigade and the ROK II Corps out of action , the US Eighth Army was reduced to just two corps , composed of four divisions and two brigades . Meanwhile , the over @-@ extended Chinese logistics system had also left the victorious 13th Army half @-@ starved and incapable of any further offensive operations . But during the chaotic UN retreats , no reconnaissance was conducted to determine the state of the Chinese forces . As the result , Walker ordered the Eighth Army to abandon North Korea on December 3 , much to the surprise of the Chinese commanders . The following 120 mi ( 190 km ) withdrawal to the 38th parallel is often referred to as " the longest retreat in US military history . " Aside from extremely low morale after the battle , the entire Eighth Army was also gripped with " bug out fever " during the retreat , and a song called the " Bugout Boogie " was composed to commemorate the Eighth Army 's defeat . Walker died two days before the Christmas of 1950 , and Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway assumed the command of the US Eighth Army . At the UN , all hopes for a unified Korea were abandoned , and a ceasefire at the 38th parallel was proposed to China on December 11 , 1950 . 
