300,000 Union Supporters had slaves. many of the Union soldiers went AWOL after the Emancipation Proclamation was announced. the Emancipation Proclamation was hoped that the slaves would rise up in revolt to the slave owners - did not happen. Lincoln wanted to remove all slaves elsewhere never happened. There was one country decided for free slaves - Liberia in Africa - how did that turn out.
Slavery still exists in Africa - slaves are sold to guess what country - Saudi Arabia - where is the outrage and boycott of Saudi Arabia. Next thing is they will protest oil as it too keeps America in bondage
Sure, in the Upper South and Border States were many who did not support secession, or the Confederacy or its war against the United States.
Many of these sent their sons to fight for the Union Army.
That some of these Southern opponents of the Confederacy may have been themselves slave-holders is possible, though must have been quite rare, especially as the war progressed.
In general, the dividing line between Southern Confederates and Southern Unionists was the degree to which a family depended on slavery for its livelihood.
hondact200: "many of the Union soldiers went AWOL after the Emancipation Proclamation was announced..."
Not enough to make any difference in the course of the war.
hondact200: "the Emancipation Proclamation was hoped that the slaves would rise up in revolt to the slave owners - did not happen"
But something far more important did happen -- about 200,000 blacks, both freed and runaway slaves, joined the Union Army (in 163 units) and Navy.
They contributed significantly to the Union war effort, and many continued to serve in decades that followed.
hondact200: "Lincoln wanted to remove all slaves elsewhere never happened.
There was one country decided for free slaves - Liberia in Africa - how did that turn out"
The idea of buying freedom for slaves and transporting them to Africa went back at least to President Jefferson, and was advocated by many prominent leaders, North and South.
So Lincoln's ideas on this were "conventional wisdom" at the time.
What Lincoln did which no previous leader had done -- Lincoln sat down and talked to black leaders, asking them what they wanted.
Did they want to go back to Africa?
Answer: no they wanted to live as free men in the United States.
As a result, Lincoln changed his own ideas about what should happen.