[Non-Sequitur]

So, then, Lee couldn't have freed those slaves earlier than the five years stipulated in the will?

The will stipulated that the slaves be freed within 5 years, so he could have freed them at any time. Lee waited until just after 5 years after his death to free them

[dsc]

I see.

"Jefferson Davis - the first 'selected, not elected' president"

If Jefferson Davis was a president, then the Confederacy must have been a nation.