Linda,
A tragic fate befell three members of the Norris clan, all in Company H, on the night of 23 June 1863, as the regiment headed north toward Pennsylvania. Columbus, James S., and Jeremiah all drowned, as did others in the regiment. William B. Judkins of Company G explained what happened, "We crossed the Potomac at Shepardtown in the night on a ferry boat. The boat sank on the third trip, and thirteen of the regiment were drowned. Only one of our company was in the boat when it sank; his name was Wm. B. Gray. He held on to the rope and got out. He could not swim. The best swimmers were the ones who were drowned--by the others that could not swim getting hold of them. The water was thirty feet deep. If they had not become excited and jumped out, and had held the rope none would have been drowned, for the boat did not sink over three feet deep. One of Company 'A' jumped out and swam ashore with his knapsack on his back, and his gun strapped on his shoulder, and never got his head wet; he said that he was raised in the Savannah river. The order was for only fifty to go over at once, but when the ferry boat sank there were 150 men on it. I crossed in the second boat; it was leaking badly then. They got out some of the drowned men, but not all; the water was deep and pretty swift. The ferry was just below the railroad bridge."