Of course they would have now let me ask you this why did Lincoln, allow Western Virginia aka (West Virginia) to enter the Union, as a Slave State? Now also why did even he allow Western Virginia to illegally secede to begin with?
The best answer: Political expediency. Northwestern Virginians were opposed to secession, the southern portion of the states populace wasn’t. Members of Linclon’s cabinet, like Seward were opposed to allowing West Va statehood because of the slavery question. Lincoln initially wasn’t opposed to slavery. He wanted to preserve the Union. To my question however it’s ludicrous to suggest that the South, having expended so much blood and treasure to win a war it started to preserve an economic system based on slave labor would then abandon that system.