Hannah Armstrong, an older woman from Illinois, recalls the time she tried to get her sick son discharged from the army during the Civil War. She first wrote to President Lincoln, the same man she once boarded and called Abe back in Menard, but got no answer. After a frustrating trip to Washington, guards turned her away, smiling. Only when she sent word that “old Aunt Hannah Armstrong from Illinois” was there did they let her in. Lincoln immediately laughed, set aside his presidential work, and wrote the discharge himself while telling old stories.
The mood is warm and personal, with a touch of hurt beneath the humor: Washington is cold and distant, but Lincoln’s kindness bridges the years. The speaker values that old, plain connection more than political power.