“I greatly appreciate the men and women of the Missouri National Guard for successfully carrying out the specific, limited mission of protecting the Unified Command Center so that law enforcement officers could focus on the important work of increasing communication within the community, restoring trust, and protecting the people and property of Ferguson,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “As we continue to see improvement, I have ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin a systematic process of withdrawing from the City of Ferguson.”

After ordering a state of emergency last Saturday and a curfew for Sunday and Monday mornings, Nixon deployed National Guard forces to Ferguson on Monday. He later clarified that Guard troops would have “limited responsibilities” to guard the center and to “provide protection.”

( Also on POLITICO: #Ferguson: Social media more spark than solution)

A release that accompanied the statement noted that the governor’s decision came after a “greatly improved” situation on the ground with “fewer acts of violence.” Ferguson has now seen two straight days without gunfire or the use of tear gas, according to officials.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson said early Thursday that six demonstrators were arrested overnight in connection with protests in Ferguson, marking perhaps the quietest evening in the Missouri city in nearly a week.

“Tonight was a very good night in Ferguson,” Johnson said after 1 a.m. local time Thursday morning at the beginning of his news conference, according to CBS affiliate KMOX.

“Each night I’ve seen a turning point,” he added. “We’ve been taking small steps every night.”

Wednesday evening was likely the calmest night of demonstrations since last Thursday, Johnson’s first night in charge of security operations in the city. Ferguson remains fraught with tension since unarmed African-American 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9.

Six people were arrested on Wednesday and early Thursday, down from 47 the previous evening. The police confiscated no handguns after removing three the night before. Wednesday marked the second straight night police did not use tear gas, and there was no gunfire on either side. Johnson also said that police officers didn’t use pepper spray, as they did the night prior, and there were no fires set by protesters.

“We didn’t have as many of the agitators,” Johnson said according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, repeating a term he has often used to describe a small group of demonstrators looking for violent confrontations with the police and other protesters. He acknowledged that one police officer was hit by a bottle but was uninjured.

The security chief credited church leaders for helping to keep protests calm on Wednesday evening and thanked the “law-abiding men and women and teenagers of Ferguson” for a quiet evening. He also said the visit of Attorney General Eric Holder — who was in Ferguson on Wednesday and met with local leaders, FBI officials and Johnson, among others — had an effect in calming tensions.

The protests were smaller than in previous evenings, with The New York Times estimating that there were only 60 protesters along West Florissant Avenue at some points during the evening. There was rainfall around 8:30 p.m., according to the Post-Dispatch, as well as some thunder and lightning, which may have brought the numbers down.