[Vietnam Vet From New Mexico]

There was a bill before the Virginia Legislature to abolish slavery (gradualy) when Lincoln called for an invasion of the south.

Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware, all union states, declined to abolish slavery.

Slaves were the most valuable property in the United States after real estate. Before you condemn slaveholders, would you give away your cars to "Save the Planet"?

A compensated or gradual manumission would have been possible. If I remember correctly, the Virginia law would have said no child could be born into slavery, and since importation of slaves was forbidden in both the USA and CSA, it would have only been a matter of time.

[Non-Sequitur]

There was a bill before the Virginia Legislature to abolish slavery (gradualy) when Lincoln called for an invasion of the south.

I believe you are incorrect in this. The Virginia constitution at the time, like all Southern state Constitutions I'm aware of, did not allow the legislature to pass any laws imparing ownership in slaves.

A compensated or gradual manumission would have been possible.

It would have required the one thing that wasn't available at the time. It would have required the Southern slaveowners to actually be interested in emacipation, compensated or otherwise. I'm not aware of any evidence that such desires were there.