Elizabeth Van Law wanted to help during the Civil War and drew inspiration from a relative who had taken care of wounded Revolutionary soldiers
Explanation:
The whole part about being a "spinster" in the beginning of the paragraph is an attempt to make the reader feel the same way as Elizabeth. As if she was nobody to be able to help her country, even though she really wants to, only to contradict this idea with her memories of what her aunt did. The main point is that she wants to help her country and she remembered something that could help her to do so.
