He prepared for the Portuguese invasion of 1816, which resulted in the defeat of the troops led by José Gervasio Artigas and the annexation of the Banda Oriental to the Kingdom of Brazil as the Cisplatina province.

Similar to many Portuguese soldiers active in the Cisplatina province, he married a woman from the region, Eugenia Gadea Paredes from the Soriano Department.

During the Cisplatine War, he was named commander of the Third Division, the Brazilian naval squadron in the Uruguay River.

He suffered a major defeat against admiral William Brown in the Battle of Juncal, after which he was taken prisoner.

After refusing to give an oath of submission, he succeeded in escaping, and in 1829 he was one of those who entered the plaza of Montevideo as a result of the Preliminary Peace Convention.