 On the afternoon of November 28 , MacArthur started to recognize that a crisis was growing in Korea . With the start of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir on November 27 , MacArthur gathered his field commanders , including Walker , for a conference in Tokyo . During the conference , MacArthur learned about the situation on the Eighth Army 's right flank and judged that the Eighth Army was in great danger . He instructed Walker to withdraw from the battle before the Chinese could surround the Eighth Army . After the conference at November 29 , Walker ordered all Eighth Army units to retreat to a new line around Sunchon , 30 mi ( 48 km ) south of Kunu @-@ ri . 
