Page "Abraham Lincoln and slavery" Paragraph 20

On August 22, 1862, just a few weeks before signing the Proclamation and after he had already discussed a draft of it with his cabinet in July, he wrote a letter in response to an editorial by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune which had urged complete abolition.

Lincoln differentiates between " my view of official duty " -- that is, what he can do in his official capacity as President -- and his personal views.

Officially he must save the Union above all else ; personally he wanted to free all the slaves: