City guard

Usually subordinate to the local municipal government, many cities had their own guard formations which doubled as police and military forces in times of need.

After 1830, with the Indian removal policy of the federal government giving white settlers a monopoly over the land east of the Mississippi, many states disbanded their unorganized militias in favor of volunteer militia units who frequently called themselves city or national guards.

[1] These companies performed functions such as assisting local law enforcement, providing troops for ceremonies and parades or acting as a benevolent social club.

The groups of company size were usually uniformed and armed themselves as well as erecting armories through their own contributions.

Volunteer units of sufficient size could elect their own officers and apply for a state charter under names that they themselves chose.