The Principality of Nassau-Usingen, whose seat of government had been Wiesbaden since 1744, maintained barely 100 infantry in two companies in the 1790s, some of which were quartered with citizens in Wiesbaden and Biebrich. When the Principality was richly compensated in 1802/03 for territories lost on the left bank of the Rhine as a result of the Revolutionary Wars, these former territories of the Electorate of Mainz, Electorate of Cologne and Electorate of Trier were also transferred to the Principality. The military was thus increased to three battalions, of which the I. was stationed in Wiesbaden and Biebrich and parts of the III. in Kastel. With an initial strength of only 15 men, the corps of mounted hunters was formed in Biebrich as the prince's guard.

In 1806, the two Nassau principalities of Usingen and Weilburg were among the founding members of the Confederation of the Rhine under Napoleon's protectorate. A few months later, Napoleon demanded the now four Nassau battalions and the cavalry, which had grown to two squadrons with a total of 320 men, for his war against Prussia. To adapt to the French system, a regiment of 1,730 men was formed from two battalions, with the 2nd regiment having its home in Wiesbaden with a brief interruption until the end of the Duchy of Nassau (1866) and parts of the 1st regiment being stationed in Biebrich. In 1808, a conscription law was passed, which was essentially valid until 1866 and enabled wealthy citizens to have so-called Einsteher serve in place of their sons in exchange for money.

In 1808, Napoleon called up the 2nd Nassau Regiment and the 2nd Eskadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel August Freiherr von Kruse for his campaign on the Iberian Peninsula, which was characterized by heavy losses. A year later, the 1st Regiment had to march to Austria and then also to Spain. The general command and the extensive depot were located in Biebrich. When Nassau joined the Allies, the 2nd Regiment went over to the British in late 1813 and was then leased to the Netherlands as a subsidy force until 1820. The 1st Regiment and the mounted infantry were interned in France. New troops had to be raised to take part in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Nassau received eight guns as its share of the spoils of war, with which an artillery division was built up under Heinrich von Hadeln from 1820.

Although Wiesbaden, as a city with little water, was extremely unsuitable for accommodating the necessary number of horses, the Duke insisted on stationing the partly mounted troops in the city because he wanted them around him as a guard instead of the abandoned cavalry. The strength of the units stationed in Wiesbaden and subject to the authority of the German Confederation varied greatly from season to season, as there were many leaves of absence for reasons of economy. The highest level of presence was reached in September during the exercises that took place almost every year. The infantry regiment was then around 1,850 men strong and the artillery, together with the sappers it housed, numbered around 440.

Despite some inadequacies, the military was welcome in Wiesbaden, as in other garrison towns, e.g. among tradesmen who worked for the troops and in the inns, where the non-commissioned officers and common soldiers in particular were guests. The young men were also welcome as inexpensive temporary workers. They were expressly permitted to earn extra money on top of their meagre pay. The officers and military officials took part in the social life of the city, they met with the elite of Wiesbaden's citizens in the expensive seats in the theater. Many of them were also members of the Wiesbaden Casino Society, and house owners valued them as tenants. The regimental music was popular at spa concerts, and some of its members also formed the orchestra in the theater at times.

Following the defeat of Austria, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and the Nassau troops were transferred to the Prussian army. The former Nassau artillery was incorporated into the II. Foot Division of the Hessian Field Artillery Regiment No. 11, with garrison in Wiesbaden. The III. division was stationed in Mainz and Kastel. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, it was again reorganized as Nassau Field Artillery Regiment No. 27. On January 27, 1902, the Emperor's birthday, Wilhelm II gave the regiment the additional name "von Oranien". The Hessian Fusilier Regiment No. 80 was also formed in 1866. Later, on 27.01.1889, it was given the name of the Prussian General von Gersdorff, who fell at Sedan, and the name suffix "Kurhessisches". The Fusilier Regiment von Gersdorff (Kurhessisches) No. 80 subsequently became the Wiesbaden "house regiment"; it moved into the barracks built in Biebrich in 1857.

During the First World War, the Wiesbaden regiments fought in both the western and eastern theaters of war and suffered numerous dead and wounded. With the end of the war and the German defeat, the regiments were disbanded, although they did not return to their garrison in Wiesbaden, but were demobilized in Braunfels an der Lahn (fusiliers) and Weilburg (artillerymen). Consequently, there was no longer a German garrison in Wiesbaden.

This was followed by a period of Allied occupation, first by French and later by British soldiers. It was not until 1936 that Wiesbaden became a German garrison town again. In October 1936, the Wehrmacht regimental staff and the third battalion of the Infantry Regiment 38 marched into Wiesbaden from Mainz. These units were later transferred to the newly established Infantry Regiment No. 87, whereby the first battalion stationed in Mainz was primarily responsible for maintaining the traditions of the Nassau units. In addition, the city became the seat of the General Command of the XII. Army Corps, the Higher Commander of the Fortress Anti-Aircraft Artillery III, the Wehrkreisverwaltung XII, the Wehrersatzinspektion XII, the Luftgaukommando XII, as well as the Nachrichtenabteilung 52 and the Luftgaunachrichtenregiment XII. To commemorate the suffering of the war, a memorial stone for the fallen and missing soldiers of Infantry Regiment No. 87 was erected on the Neroberg in 1954.

After the Second World War, Allied soldiers once again came to the city, this time under the American flag. The Americans moved into the extensive Wiesbaden barracks facilities and a new chapter in the international garrison history of the city of Wiesbaden began.

In the course of German rearmament after the Second World War, Wiesbaden also became a garrison town again. The strict separation between military units and a civilian administration was one of the major innovations in the organization of the German armed forces after 1945, and so Wiesbaden also became the seat of an administrative unit, the Military District Administration IV. Other components of the civilian administration were the Military District Fees Office, responsible for all pay matters relating to soldiers, and the Military District Clothing Office on Phillipsring in Mainz-Kastel.

The commander of the local defense district command was also the senior officer of the Wiesbaden garrison. The Defense District Command formed an important link between the armed forces and the civilian authorities and was to take on numerous security tasks in the Wiesbaden area in the event of a defensive situation. Traffic Command 740, which was located in Juliusstraße and had to take on important tasks in the area of traffic control planning, was also part of this context.

However, the best-known troop units were probably the river pioneers stationed in the Schierstein harbor barracks. The pioneer base was initially established by the American armed forces before it was transferred to the Bundeswehr in July 1958. In the 1980s, the Wiesbaden River Engineer Company 851 (until 1959: Pi-Fluß-Kp (TV) 791, until 1973: FlußPiKp 735, until 1980: FlußPiKp 882), which was renamed several times, was responsible for an operational area that stretched along the Rhine from Kehl to Neuwied. The main task here was to ensure the mobility and operational freedom of the NATO troops with the help of replacement crossings across the Rhine that were available at short notice. Pionierinstandsetzungspunkt 883 (until 1961: Bootsinstandsetzungspunkt, until 1971: Pionierinstandsetzungspunkt 744) was also located in the harbor barracks, which was disbanded in 1994; the barracks were subsequently handed over for civilian use.

The administrative offices still remaining in Wiesbaden lost their independence in 2002 and are now part of the Federal Office of Administration. The most important military office in the city today is the Hesse State Command, which was put into service in 2007. As the central command authority of the territorial military structure, it forms the key link between the armed forces and the Hessian state government and serves as the first point of contact for Bundeswehr support services in Hesse.