Abraham Lincoln said...

The Secretary of War shall assign to the said commissioners such aid and assistance as may be required for the performan...

But there is a task yet before us---to go forward and consummate by the votes of the States that which Congress so nobly...

I believe I shall never be old enough to speak without embarrassment when I have anything [nothing?] to talk about.

He thought this measure was a very fitting if not an indispensable adjunct to the winding up of the great difficulty.