[BroJoeK]

central_va: "Abolitionists of the 19th century supported terrorism and many were themselves in fact terrorists."

So, you & I would consider "terrorist" to be the bigger insult, and yet, interestingly, that's not what the Confederate cavalryman threw at W.T. Sherman's skirmishers.
The word in July 1861 he considered more insulting, or just more truthful, was "abolitionists".

Perhaps "terrorist" would be added later?

[the OlLine Rebel]

I doubt “terrorist” was in the vocabulary.

[central_va]

Was John Brown a terrorist or just another “staunch abolitionist”? You tell me.