[2] During the War of the Oranges, Virués served on the staff of Manuel Godoy, being promoted to Infantry brigadier in 1802.
In April 1806, he was appointed governor of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, post he still held at the start of the Peninsular War.
[1] In August 1808 he was promoted to field marshal, and in October, appointed interim governor of Cádiz, post he held until February 1809, when he was sent to London.
On his return to Spain, Virués served in the Army of the Left under the orders of the Marquis of la Romana, and was appointed commanding officer of the Portuguese region of Campo Maior, Portugal, then garrisoned by Spanish troops.
At the beginning of May 1813, while at Valladolid, King Joseph commissioned him to travel to Madrid discuss an armistice with the Spanish armies.