Possibly the most misunderstood and controversial character of the Civil War is John Brown. As a child growing up in Virginia, I was taught that Brown was the enemy; a religious fanatic who was bent on violence to stop Virginia’s way of life by any means necessary. It was almost the same way we saw terrorists after 9/11. Yet as I have grown and studied the war more in depth, I have come to understand the complexities of Brown and understand that he was fighting for a righteous cause.