 In 1859, he joined the Federal cause, taking up arms along with his two children, Miguel Sotillo and José Antonio Sotillo, with whom he commanded the campaigns of El Banco de Los Pozos (18 March 1859) and Las Piedras (16 April 1859), where they were defeated by the troops of general José Maria Zamora.In July 1859, Sotillo started guerrilla warfare in the mountains of El Tigre.At this point, his prestige was worth his appointment as Second Commander of the Venezuelan Federal War.