Well, apparently in 3rd of October (or 10th of March, the US has a terribly obtuse date system)... 10/03/1845 he said:
I hold it to be a paramount duty of us in the free states ...to let the slavery of the other states alone.
So, he didn't free the slaves he just fought a war to have an "over-all" government rather than a confederation of states.
Lincoln had no intention of interfering with slavery where it existed, he didn't want it to start anywhere else in the US. He also wanted to send niggers back to africa or even to the caribbean islands but the niggers either refused to go or couldn't handle.
Lincoln stated he knew Whites would never be able to live with nigroes.
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