For some Union soldiers, exposure to southern slavery profoundly altered their views on the institution. Some increasingly disapproved of slavery and returning escaped slaves. Others reacted negatively to the idea of fighting a war for which emancipation was a stated war aim. Even before President Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, John P. Jones wrote to his wife from Medon, Tennessee, of his increasing sympathies for abolitionism after seeing the inhumanity with which slaves could be treated. He also rejoiced that military policy no longer forced soldiers to return escaped slaves, which had made him feel like a “slave catcher.”