Why not just quote Lincoln on why the war was fought?
"As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.
I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.
You could cut the ground out from under this argument by calling the song mythology. I would have to concede your point.
I would say it was a song and not a statement of administration policy.
Thank you. It often concerns me when I see people respond to the fools errands that this poster invites but you cleanly cut through his bullspit.
“If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it . . .”
Lincoln said so many conflicting things to so many audiences it is hard to keep track or to know when he was being honest.
When Lincoln declared “if I could save it (the union) by freeing all the slaves I would do it” he may have actually been stating his intentions . . . and his lack of commitment to the constitution and rule of law.
The constitution did not permit Lincoln to free all the slaves - unless he had the votes to pass a constitutional amendment. Some here on this board have done the math and assure me he did not have the necessary votes. And Lincoln knew he did not have the votes.
So Lincoln did what he did at a cost of over 600,000 dead. He destroyed the union to save it but we lost the constitution.
But we did get something to replace the constitution. We got the federal register which, I think, is now over two million pages.