On July 10, 1780, under the leadership of Commandant Balthazar de Villiers, eighty-seven men assembled outside Fort San Carlos III to be organized into two militia companies. Conducted during the American Revolutionary War while Arkansas was part of Spanish Louisiana, this historic gathering represents the earliest documented organization of militia forces in what is now Arkansas—the beginning of a tradition that continues today through the Arkansas National Guard.

To commemorate this remarkable milestone, the Arkansas National Guard Museum has commissioned an original historical painting depicting this important moment in our state’s history. Developed through extensive historical research and consultation with leading scholars and representatives of the Quapaw Nation, the painting brings to life the soldiers, militia, civilians, and Indigenous allies who stood together in defense of Arkansas nearly two and a half centuries ago.