Peace at Hampton Roads

Because we haven't had enough crazy American Civil War discussions today, here's the craziest one yet. IOTL, on February 3rd 1865, a Confederate delegation consisting of the Vice President, a senator, and the Assistant Secretary of War, met with President Lincoln and the US Secretary of State to discuss a peace proposal at Hampton Roads. The meeting was set up by a rather odd journalist who had the idea that the two nations would settle their differences peacefully by reuniting them in a war; against Maximilian of Mexico to drive him and the French out. Lincoln only assented to the conference to see what would develop, whereas Davis only assented because he knew what Lincoln would say and use his demand for unconditional surrender to invigorate the Confederacy. Among the topics of discussion were the abolition of slavery. But as you can imagine, the Confederacy's primary position was independence, and Lincoln would not budge on that issue. As a result, nothing came of the conference and the war continued or a few more months before the Confederacy collapsed.

But what if it hadn't? The challenge here is to get an agreement made at the conference. Here I mean the agreement must result in both peace and southern independence. Optional goals are the voluntary abolition of slavery (with payment to the owners as compensation) and the more hare-brained goal of a joint USA-CSA attack on the Mexican Empire if you are feeling up for it. :p Obviously, to reach the first part alone requires two things. First, the South should obviously be in a much stronger military position by this time or whatever time an analogous proposal for peace is thought up. Secondly, both presidents should probably be out of office by whatever means. Lincoln wasn't the type to budge on southern independence and Davis was equally stubborn on all accounts. Solve both those problems with whatever means it takes, just so long as there's still a Peace Conference that discusses these proposals.

Feel free to put this up in ASB if it sounds a bit too crazy and insane.
 
Have Lincoln lose the election to Little Mac, have him die before he takes office and then have Pendleton (The VP elect) agree to it after he takes office.
 
Sure sounds ASB to me.

Hmm... A radical abolitionist kills the whole group, discrediting the idea of abolitionism in the North, and removing the incompetent Davis from the South? ???
That's all I've got.
 
Lincoln pretends to agree to the proposal, but in the meantime, begins secret negotiations with Mexico, where slavery is illegal, to bring the Mexicans into the war on the side of the North.
 
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