[jeffersondem]

“Lincoln never abolished slavery in states that remained loyal to the Union.”

Lincoln actually added a slave state to the union. I guess we can forever dismiss the notion that Lincoln “fought to free the slaves.”

This, despite loud claims by some, that “it was all about slavery.”

[OIFVeteran]

Your right, the United States went to war to preserve the Union against what they (and when I say they I mean the President, Congress, the majority of the northern people) believed was an illegal rebellion. Lincoln himself said this in his letter to Horace Greeley. You know the one, you’ve posted it often enough. Though you tend to leave out the last paragraph.

I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.

Yours,

A. Lincoln

However the southern states did secede to protect slavery. Why? Because the Republican Party was the Pro-freedom party, just as they are the pro-life party nowadays.

The southern Democrats were the party of anti-freedom, just as democrats are the party of anti-life now.

Now during the war the United States added the goal of freeing those Americans held in bondage. Lincoln only had the constitutional authority to do this in states that were in rebellion. But he worked with congress to pass an amendment to get rid of slavery forever. Just as current pro-life people would like to pass a constitutional amendment saying life begins at conception to ban abortion forever.

Now the southern democrats claimed to be fighting for freedom, just as current democrats claim to be fighting for “choice”. But they were really fighting for the right to own other humans, just as democrats are really fighting for the right to kill children.

[BroJoeK]

jeffersondem: "Lincoln actually added a slave state to the union.
I guess we can forever dismiss the notion that Lincoln 'fought to free the slaves.'
This, despite loud claims by some, that 'it was all about slavery.' "

Nonsense, of course Lincoln "fought to free the slaves", lawfully, which meant by Emancipation Proclamation in states in Rebellion, plus by 13th Amendment in loyal Union states.

As for West Virginia:

"On December 31, 1862 President Lincoln signed the West Virginia statehood bill on the condition that the new state provide some type of emancipation.
Waitman T. Willey, a Senator of Virginia under the aegis of the Restored Government in Wheeling, composed an emancipation amendment to the constitution to be ratified by public vote on March 26, 1863.
It became known as the Willey Amendment...

...The Willey Amendment was approved by public vote and on April 20, 1863.
President Lincoln issued a proclamation that West Virginia had met all requirements and would become a state on June 20, 1863.[78]
In anticipation of the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the Wheeling legislature passed a bill ending slavery in West Virginia on February 3, 1865."

Lincoln approved of gradual abolition as represented by that Willey amendment and Lincoln lived long enough to see full abolition in West Virginia.
That's because, following fellow Union slave-states Maryland & Missouri, West Virginia fully abolished slavery in early 1865, 11 months before ratification of the 13th amendment.