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This begs to differ: https://www.aier.org/article/was-lincoln-really-into-marx/

Specifically:

“The way in which the North is waging the war is none other than might be expected of a bourgeois republic, where humbug has reigned supreme for so long. The South, an oligarchy, is better suited to the purpose, especially an oligarchy where all productive labour devolves on the n—s and where the 4 million ‘white trash’ are flibustiers by calling. For all that, I’m prepared to bet my life on it that these fellows will come off worst, ‘Stonewall Jackson’ notwithstanding. It is, of course, possible that some sort of revolution will occur beforehand in the North itself.”

That was from a letter to Engels dated September 10, 1862, and aside from the crass racist language engaged by Marx in that letter, he makes it pretty dang clear he didn’t give a rats patooey about Lincoln’s efforts despite the public PR for the Workers’ International (in other words, any “praise” he had for Lincoln was purely self-serving and not genuine).

“Lincoln has at his disposal considerable means for achieving election. (Needless to say, the peace proposals made by him are mere humbug.) The election of an opposition candidate would probably lead to a genuine revolution. Nevertheless, there is no mistaking the fact that during the next 8 weeks, in the course of which the matter will be decided pro tem, much will depend on military eventualities. This is undoubtedly the most critical moment since the beginning of the war. Once this has been shifted, Old Lincoln can blunder on to his heart’s content.”

And this was from Marx’s personal assessment of the war’s results. In fact, the only one in Lincoln’s cabinet that Marx was genuinely excited about regarding the results was Andrew Jackson after Lincoln’s assassination. If anything, they were more sympathetic to Stonewall Jackson and the South based on those bits.

And Engels was not much better in his comments about Lincoln, either. I believe his exact words were “the only apparent effect of Lincoln’s emancipation so far is that the North-West has voted Democrat for fear of being overrun by Negroes.”

If they had any respect for Lincoln or actually allied with him, they sure have a strange way of showing it.

Now, if you were talking about Horace Greeley, a true disgrace for the Republican party who actually WAS a huge RINO and leftist democrat in all but name, we can find grounds for agreement.

Besides, Marx and Engels didn’t even WANT centralization. Quite the opposite, those guys wanted a literal bloody remake of the French Revolution and Reign of Terror, which was one of the most decentralized events EVER, at least until Vladimir Lenin granted their wish in 1918 with Russia and elsewhere. Even Marx stated the state needed to fade away, not just class systems, wanted complete anarchy in other words.