 On 4 February , Patch ordered the 161st Infantry Regiment to replace the 147th at the front and resume the advance westward . The Yano battalion retreated to new positions at the <unk> River and troops were sent to block the advance of George 's force along the south coast . Meanwhile , Halsey 's carrier and battleship task forces remained just beyond Japanese air attack range about 300 mi ( 260 nmi ; 480 km ) south of Guadalcanal . 
