Have you ever wondered where the phrase "You gotta Be *hittin' Me" came from?
Well, it just so happened to have originated through the Father of our country, way back when General George Washington was crossing the Delaware River.
There were 33 soldiers in Washington's boat. It was extremely dark and storming furiously. The raging water was tossing them about.
Washington grabbed Corporal Peters and stationed him at the bow of the boat with a lantern. He ordered him to keep swinging it, so they could see where they were heading.
Through driving rain and cold, Corporal Peters continued swinging the lantern back and forth, back and forth. Suddenly, a huge wave hit the boat and threw Corporal Peters into the Delaware.
Washington and his troops searched for nearly an hour trying to find him, but to no avail. All of them felt terrible, for Corporal Peters had been one of their favorites.
Hours later, General Washington and his troops landed on the other side, wet and totally exhausted. He rallied his troops and told them that they must go on.
Another hour passed, then one of his soldiers said, "General, I see lights ahead."
They trudged toward the lights and came upon a huge house. What they didn't know yet, was that this was a house of ill-repute hidden in the forest to serve all who came.
General Washington pounded on the door, his men crowding around him. The door swung open, and much to his surprise, before them stood a beautiful woman. A huge smile came across her face, as she was delighted to see so many young men standing at her door.
Washington was the first to speak, "Madam, I am General George Washington and these are my men. We are cold, tired, and hungry. We are desperately in need of warmth and comfort."
Again, the Madam looked at all the men standing there, and with a big smile on her face she said, "Well, General, you have come to the right place. We can surely give you warmth and comfort. How many men do you have?"
General Washington replied, "Well, madam, there are 32 of us without Peters."
And the Madam said, "You gotta be *hittin' me."
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