Slocum's Corps--the Twelfth--was posted, as a reserve, also on the left.
Hancock now relinquished the command of the field to Slocum and rode back to Taneytown to confer with Meade and explain his reasons for choosing the battle-field.
Longstreet's corps soon arrived and joined Ewell and Hill; so that the whole rebel army was ready to act against us the next morning, with the exception of Pickett's division.
At the close of the day General John Newton rode up and took charge of the First Corps by order of General Meade, and I resumed the command of my division.

Several incidents occurred during the severe struggle of the first day which are worthy of record.
Colonel Wheelock of the 97th New York was cut off during the retreat of Robinson's division, and took refuge in a house.

A rebel lieutenant entered and called upon him to surrender his sword.
This he declined to do, whereupon the lieutenant called in several of his men, formed them in line, took out his watch and said to the colonel, "You are an old gray-headed man, and I dislike to kill you, but if you don't give up that sword in five minutes, I shall order these men to blow your brains out." When the time was up _the Colonel still refused to surrender._ A sudden tumult at the door, caused by some prisoners attempting to escape, called the lieutenant off for a moment.

When he returned the colonel had given his sword to a girl in the house who had asked him for it, and she secreted it between two mattresses.

He was then marched to the rear, but being negligently guarded, escaped the same night and returned to his regiment.
Another occurrence recalls Browning's celebrated poem of "An Incident at Ratisbon." An officer of the 6th Wisconsin approached Lieutenant- Colonel Dawes, the commander of the regiment, after the sharp fight in the railroad cut.