What Does Lincoln Mean When He Says If I Could Save The Union Without Freeing Any Slave I Would Do It And If I Could Save It By Freeing All The Slaves I Would?

What Does Lincoln Mean When He Says If I Could Save The Union Without Freeing Any Slave I Would Do It And If I Could Save It By Freeing All The Slaves I Would? He said that in the letter, which is highly complicated and has long been argued about, Lincoln is “asserting his position