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“Such a proclamation made after the path toward revolution began hardly addresses causation, does it?”

Arguing “causation” isn’t going to help you any. See if you can figure out who wrote this famous letter to Horace Greeley. And what it teaches you about his motive for going to war:

“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.

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley.htm

You lost losers also leave out the last paragraph of that letter for some reason, I wonder why?

“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.

And with that belief Lincoln was morally head and shoulders above any of the southern rebel leaders.