However, at this time, the word "army" meant "foreign mercenaries." After the Revolutionary War, Americans did not trust mercenaries. Instead, they came up with the idea of a national army, made of citizens. They changed their definition of military service from a choice of careers to a civic duty something every good republican should do. Before the Civil War, people saw military service as an important show of patriotism, and a necessary part of citizenship. To soldiers, military service was something they chose to do, something they had a say in, and it showed that they were good citizens.