| In all my reading I never saw that, but I have seen things that contradict it, though. The Confederacy, being a confederacy, couldn't free the slaves, each state would have had to do it by itself. Several Confederate generals suggested that slaves be freed if they fight for the cause. It only happended when Lee suggested it, and some did volunteer.
As far as the Emancipation Proclaimation, Lincoln was freeing the slaves that he could, i.e. those in the areas that were under army command. He was also pulling off a political tight rope walk. He couldn't try to free the slaves in the border states for fear of losing them, and therefor the war. By freeing the slaves he blocked England from allying with the South.
BTW, The war was still going on when Lincoln was assinated. Only Lee, and the major Southern army, had surrendered. Most of the other Confederate armies surrendered within two months, I believe. There was one Confederate raider that continued attacking Union ships until late 1865.
Where did you pick up the idea of the Confederacy freeing the slaves? |
