He was an officer of the Argentine forces in the Uruguayan Civil War and for a short time he fought in Corrientes under General José María Paz.

[1] He was considered to be a hero during the Battle of Cepeda as he managed to successfully retreat to the front of the infantry and artillery after the defeat, saving the life and prestige of his boss, Bartolomé Mitre, which earned him promotion to the rank of colonel.

He played a prominent role in refusing to withdraw his troops at the Battle of Pehuajó, which did not prevent his defeat, and instead caused an excessive number of casualties among his own forces.

In any case, he was charged with organizing the Army's crossing into Paraguayan territory through Paso de la Patria [es], an action that he successfully achieved.

Conesa then organized the formation of armies in the south of Córdoba,[1] gathering successive contingents sent by Miter from Paraguay, and his second, General José Miguel Arredondo, defeated them in the decisive Battle of San Ignacio.

[5] In 1868 he mobilized the Army from the interior to the province of Santa Fe, with the intention of replacing the overthrown Mitrista governor Nicasio Oroño, but the attempt failed.

[1] When the Jordanian Rebellion [es] broke out in Entre Ríos Province led by the federal leader Ricardo López Jordán, he was the head of one of the great columns mobilized against him, and achieved the first important victory against the federalists, in the Battle of Puntas del Sauce.