 Under Smith , 1st Battalion emplaced on hills overlooking the road into Chochiwon , resting the night of July 11 with no contact from the North Koreans until the next day . Just after dawn on July 12 , the American battalion first encountered North Korean patrols followed by an attack on their left flank by a North Korean force estimated as battalion sized at 0930 . Soon afterward , some 2 @,@ 000 North Koreans began a direct assault on 1st Battalion 's position , supported by heavy artillery . Stephens decided the understrength battalion , with its large percentage of replacements , could not hold its position long and ordered it to withdraw . Smith subsequently moved the battalion from the line one company at a time and the retreat was orderly . By nightfall , the entire regiment had moved by truck to a blocking position at Taepyong @-@ ni , across the Kum River close to Taejon . In the meantime , U.S. forces on the westerly Kongju road fought a series of minor engagements to delay North Korean forces traveling down that road before retreating across the Kum river . 
