In the course of the 1848/49 revolution, a citizens' militia was also formed in Wiesbaden. The aim of the liberal spokesmen was not to enforce their political demands by force of arms; rather, they were interested in effective protection against internal and external threats.

The formation of the "National Guard" began on March 2nd. A few days later, the troops had their first test when an attempt was made to storm the theater, arsenal and city palace on March 4. Under the leadership of its first commander, the Wiesbaden watchmaker and hotelier Georg Böhning, the vigilante group confronted the rioters and prevented a further escalation of violence.

Initially, the citizens' militia was divided into 36 platoons, but was later divided into three battalions, with the companies organized according to different age groups. By July 1848, the guard already consisted of around 1,500 soldiers.

The soldiers themselves elected the leading officers from among their number. After Böhning had already resigned from office on March 9, Wilhelm Goedecke, captain of the Nassau military in Wiesbaden, was elected as his successor. The local commander was also a member of the "Security Committee", a management and supervisory body that was to oversee the establishment of the vigilante group.

The question of armament remained problematic. In addition to rifles, shotguns, pikes and scythes were also part of the appearance of the vigilantes in Wiesbaden. In addition, the level of training and discipline of the troops was repeatedly criticized. After the July riots of 1848, when an attempt was made to free imprisoned artillerymen, the guard was first disarmed and then comprehensively reorganized. The number of troops was reduced. At the same time, numerous dishonorable expulsion proceedings were intended to weaken the democratic opposition in Wiesbaden as a whole. Citizen commander Goedecke also resigned from office; Captain Christoph Malm was appointed as his successor.

With the failure of the Imperial Constitutional Campaign and the simultaneous strengthening of the reaction in Nassau, the Wiesbaden Citizens' Militia experienced a gradual decline until the troops were finally completely ousted from the city's image.