The earliest record of the unit dates back to May 1898, when General del Pilar reported to Aguinaldo, who had recently returned from exile in Hong Kong, about his readiness to attack Manila with 300 volunteer Katipuneros stationed in Las Piñas.
In response, the brigade blocked U.S. navigation on its side of the Pasig River, defying orders from President Aguinaldo and, like General Antonio Luna, continued to carry out provocative attacks against American troops.
In May 1899, together with the forces of General Gregorio del Pilar numbering to about 800 men, set up stone-fronted trenches in Baliuag, Bulacan in an effort to delay the American advance.
Following the decision of President Emilio Aguinaldo's government to dissolve the Army in November 1899 and transform military units into decentralized guerrilla commands, the brigade was assigned to operate in the Province of Bulacan, with its base in the southwestern sector of the Sierra Mountain Range.
The unit was also noted for engaging American forces from the marshes of San Vicente and Santa Rita in Cabiao,[6] in an attempt to delay their advance in pursuit of President Aguinaldo northwards.