He performed in military camps, hoping to raise the morale of the rebels, and composed epic poems recounting the history of the uprising.

Višnjić is widely considered one of Serbia's greatest gusle players and is revered for his contributions to the Serbian oral tradition.

Following his father's death, Višnjić's mother remarried and moved to the village of Međaši in the lowlands of Semberija, taking her young son with her.

At first, he begged in order to earn a subsistence living, but soon his storytelling abilities attracted the attention of a number of influential figures, including Ivo Knežević, a nobleman from Semberija.

In 1809, Višnjić left eastern Bosnia, crossed the Drina and ventured into Serbia, which beginning in 1804, had been the site of a violent anti-Ottoman rebellion under the leadership of Karađorđe.

Višnjić and his family first settled in Loznica, then in Badovinci, and finally in Salaš Noćajski, where they were accommodated by the rebel leader Stojan Čupić.

Thereafter, Višnjić travelled along the Drina, playing the gusle and reciting his epic poetry with the aim of raising the rebels' morale.

[7] Karadžić convinced Višnjić to visit him at the Šišatovac Monastery, at Fruška Gora, where the latter played the gusle and recited his poetry while the former took note.

Karadžić and several other prominent Serbian academics tried to convince Višnjić to return to Ottoman Serbia, hoping that this would inspire him to write new material, but the aging bard refused.

Biographer Branko Šašić attributes Višnjić's refusal to his philosophical and ideological opposition to Miloš Obrenović, who had initiated a second uprising against the Ottomans in 1815.

[14] This is true of several other epic poets whose works Karadžić published, such as the recitalist Tešan Podrugović, and the blind female guslari Jeca, Stepanija and Živena.

According to Slavic studies professor David A. Norris, the guslar "did not know his songs by heart, but as compositions made up of traditional phrases and formulaic expressions on which he could call each time he sang.

"[15] This gave gusle players such as Višnjić the ability to alter the content of their epic poems depending on the audience or occasion.

[16] With the publication of Karadžić's collections of Serbian epic poetry, Višnjić's works found a European audience, and were very well received.

[18] Each November, Gornja Trnova hosts a cultural manifestation called Višnjićevi dani ("Višnjić's Days"), which attracts writers, theoreticians and poets, and features a Serbian Orthodox commemoration service.

During World War II, Višnjić's likeness was featured on 50 dinar banknotes issued by the Government of National Salvation.