Antonio Burriel de Montemayor, his father, held the title of Knight in the Royal Orders of Saint Ferdinand and San Hermenegildo.

[3] In 1859, he participated in the Hispano-Moroccan War in which he served as captain of the General Staff of the First Army Corps under Rafaél de Echagüe y Bermingham.

Burriel traveled to Mindanao and Jolo by order of Captain General Rafael Echagüe, acting as the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army from November 5, 1862, to January 22, 1863.

[8] In a report to the Governor-General Joaquín Jovellar y Soler, he indicated the leaders of the expedition as Bernabé Varona, William A.C. Ryan, Jesús del Sol, and Pedro de Céspedes.

[9] On November 8, British Naval officer Lambton Lorraine arrived at the port of Santiago de Cuba on the HMS Niobe to intervene and prevent further executions of the surviving Virginius crew and passengers by Burriel.

By November 15, Burriel was confronted by Commander William B. Cushing of the USS Wyoming on the harbour pier who threatened to open fire on Santiago de Cuba if the punishments weren't suspended.