Question

Why did President Lincoln reverse General Fremont's order to free captured slaves?

General Butler had already declared slaves to be contraband.

He feared that freed African Americans would fight against the Union.

He was waiting for a Union victory before freeing enslaved people.

He feared retaliation from the border states, which supported slavery.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

President Lincoln reversed General Fremont's order to free captured slaves because he feared retaliation from the border states, which supported slavery. Lincoln was trying to balance the beliefs and interests of various factions within the Union in order to maintain support for the war effort. The border states were crucial to the Union's military and political strategy, and Lincoln did not want to risk alienating them by freeing their slaves without their consent.