By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@thecitizennews.com

Sharpsburg resident Jim Goodrum has donated his latest creation of a wooden ship to the Order of Robert E. Lee, an auxiliary of the Sharpsburg Sharpshooters Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The group will raffle the replica to raise funds for its programs.

A replica of the “CSS Virginia,” it is made of white pine and is about 20 inches long.

The original ship was christened the USS Merrimack (often misspelled Merrimac), originally built in 1855 and scuttled by the U.S. Navy in early 1861.

Confederate engineers converted it into an iron-sided vessel and rechristened it the CSS Virginia. The armor was four inches thick.

It entered into a battle with a Union ironclad ship the Monitor March 9, 1862. Though the battle ended in a draw, the Virginia had sunk two wooden Union warships off Norfolk, Va.

Creating the replica took Goodrum about 40 hours. He has been carving items out of wood since a child, and is also proficient at making furniture and items in ceramic as well as working in metal.

Raffle tickets are available at $2 each or three for $5. Phone Bill or Ann Poe, 770-253-3254, for information.