Many Southern leaders believed that a McClellan victory in the presidential election of 1864 would lead to

Many southern leaders believed that a McClellan victory in the presidential election of 1864 would lead to the Emancipation of enslaved persons.

Explanation:

The American presidential election was held on Nov. 8, 1864, in that election Republican President Democrat George B. McClellan was defeated by Abraham Lincoln. Re-election by Lincoln meant he would preside over the successful outcome of the Civil War. The victory of Lincoln made him the president to seek re-election since Andrew Jackson in 1832, as well as the first president ever to seek re-election in the North.  After the re-election, southern leaders believed that a McClellan success in the presidential election of 1864 would lead to the Emancipation of enslaved persons.