Colonel Glenn's Dream Before the Battle of Cowpens

The reader having followed Major McJunkin through a narrative of his personal adventures in the great war that once devastated this country, broke up the peace and order of society, armed brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, made thousands of wives widows, filled the country with orphans, but finally closed in giving us nationality and independence, may now have some faint conceptions of the horrors of war.  But the picture lacks much of being finished.  The illustration can never be complete, the conception never fully adequate from any recital of facts. It may be proper to close this narrative by mentioning some incidents connected with the main events already alluded  to or described. Some of these were learned from Major McJunkin, and some are given from the authority of others who were witnesses of the times that try men's souls.

On the second night before the Battle of Cowpens, says Major McJunkin, my mess in sleeping consisted of Col. Glenn of Newberry and Major Jackson of Georgia.  Col. Glenn, after having slept, said he had a dream.  He was asked to tell it.  He said he had just dreamed he had a dreadful conflict with a very large and terrible looking snake with his sword; he had cut it in two.  That the head had escaped, but the tail lay powerless at his feet.  He then asked Major Jackson if he could construe the dream.

 "I do not profess to be a construer of dreams," said the Major, "but suppose the party to which you belong and the enemy now pursuing as a great serpent will have a battle, that the snake Tarleton will suffer a partial defeat, lose a considerable portion of his force, but at the head effect his escape in safety from the scene of conflict."