Above:  “COLONEL EDSON IS DECORATED--- Col. Merrit Austin Edson, USMC, of Chester, Vt., Commanding Officer of the first Marine Raider Battalion, is decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism in combat. Making the award is Brigadier General William H. Rupertus, Assistant Division Commander of the First Marine Division. To the left is the General’s aide, First Lt. Guy Tarrant. This award was made in the Southwest Pacific.” From the Thayer Soule Collection (COLL/2266) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH. Photograph licensed to War History Network. (Click to enlarge)

Left: Carlson's Marine Raiders on Guadalcanal 1942. Photograph courtesy of United States Marine Corps History Division. (Click to enlarge)

The USMC History Division states that the US ground forces (Army and Marine Corps) suffered 4,709 total wounded. Marine air units add another 127 to this figure. Frank notes that the Bureau of Personnel, World War II Casualty List, Books 2 and 3, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C. lists US Navy wounded over the course of the campaign as 2,953, (Frank, p. 644) but this number appears to be an understatement. 

Multimedia: Video, Web, and Photo
Photo album: U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal; Courtesy United States Marine Corps History Division, Archives Branch.  |  Video: Historian Richard Frank "Guadalcanal: The First Offensive"  |  National WWII Museum: Battle of Guadalcanal   |   Imbiblio.org: First Offensive: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal

Left: Headed for the Front, Guadalcanal, circa 1942. (Click to enlarge)

"Grinding through the sands of Guadalcanal, U.S. Marine tanks rumble through palm trees toward the front lines to assist ground forces turn back counter-attacking Japanese." From the collection of Clifton B. Cates (COLL/3157), United States Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH.

Left: Evacuating a Wounded Marine, Guadalcanal, circa 1942. (Click to enlarge)

“JAP SNIPER VICTIM BROUGHT SAFELY IN----These four Marines are pictured carrying in their wounded comrade while under heavy sniper fire. As calmly as they would walk on their village green, these Marine Devildogs carry their buddy to safety somewhere on Guadalcanal. Bringing in the wounded. That always required a lot of personnel. A lot of effort." From the Thayer Soule Collection (COLL/2266) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH.

Left: Marines and their Stuart Light Tank, Guadalcanal, circa 1942. (Click to enlarge)

“MOP-UP UNIT-- Two alert U.S. Marines stand beside their small tank which helped blast the Japanese in the battle of the Tenaru River during the early stages of fighting on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Those well-manned, sturdy machines readily mopped up strong points of enemy resistance.” From the Thayer Soule Collection (COLL/2266) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH.

Books and Suggested Reading
Guadalcanal: The Definitive Acocunt of the Landmark Battle by Richard Frank. First published in 1990, Guadalcanal remains one of the most popular works on this battle. Victory Fever on Guadalcanal: Japan's First Land Defeat of WWII by William H. Bartsch is a more recent contribution published in 2014 by Texas A&M University Press College Station. Once a Legend: "Red Mike" Edson of the Marine Raiders by Jon T. Hoffman is an excellent work on marine legend Major General Merritt "Mike" Edson.

Lastly, and perhaps one of the most valuable books (if you can find a copy) is Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal: History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II by Lieutenant Colonel Frank O. Hough, USMCR, Major Verle E. Ludwig, USMC, and Henry Shaw, Jr., Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.