Calleja anali wokonzekera komanso wamkulu wa gulu lankhondo lapakati (1810-12) panthawi ya Nkhondo Yodziyimira pawokha komanso wolamulira wazaka makumi asanu ndi limodzi waku New Spain, akulamulira kuyambira 1813 mpaka 1816, pokhala m'modzi mwa anthu oyipa kwambiri m'mbiri ya Mexico.
Adabadwira ku Medina del Campo, Valladolid, ndipo adamwalira ku Valencia. Anapanga kampeni yake yoyamba ngati lieutenant wachiwiri paulendo wovuta wa Algiers womwe, muulamuliro wa Charles III, motsogozedwa ndi Count O'Reilly. Anali mphunzitsi komanso wamkulu wa kampani ya ma cadet 100, kuphatikiza Joaquín Blacke, regent pambuyo pa Spain, ndi Francisco Javier de Elío, wolowa m'malo mwa Buenos Aires, ku Military School of Puerto de Santa María.
Adafika ku New Spain ndi chiwerengerochi kachiwiri cha Revillagigedo (1789), monga wamkulu woyang'anira gulu lankhondo laku Puebla, ndipo adachita bwino ma komisheni angapo mpaka atasankhidwa kukhala wamkulu wa brigade ya San Luis Potosí. Kumeneko adalamulidwa ndi gulu lankhondo lomwe lidalamula kuti asonkhanitsidwe ndi Viceroy Marquina, yemwe adapezekapo ndi kampani yake ndi Captain Ignacio Allende. Kumeneko adakwatiranso Doña Francisca de la Gándara, mwana wamkazi wa chiphaso chachifumu cha mzindawo, yemwe anali mwini wa Hacienda de Bledos wamkulu; ndipo adakopa kwambiri anthu mdzikolo, omwe amamudziwa kuti "mbuye Don Félix."
Pomwe kuukira kwa Hidalgo kudachitika, osadikirira kuti wolamulirayo alamulire, adayika gulu lankhondo lake, adawachulukitsa ndi atsopano ndikuwongolera ndikuwalanga, adapanga ochepa (amuna 4,000) koma gulu lamphamvu lamkati, lomwe lidakwanitsa kugonjetsa Hidalgo ndikukumana ndi zoyipa zoyambitsidwa ndi Morelos.
Calleja adapuma pantchito ku Mexico atazunguliridwa ndi Cuautla (Meyi, 1812), adakhala kunyumba yake (Casa de Moncada, yemwe pambuyo pake adadzatchedwa Palacio Iturbide) khothi lake laling'ono pomwe kusakhutira ndi Boma la Venegas kudagwirizana, omwe amamuimba mlandu wosowa ndalama wopanda mphamvu yokhala ndi kuthetsa kusinthaku. Pafupifupi zaka 4 pambuyo pake adalamulira dzikolo ngati wolowa m'malo. Anamaliza gulu lankhondo powafikitsa amuna 40,000 a magulu ankhondo ndi magulu ankhondo, ndipo ambiri mwa mafumu achifumu adakonza m'matawuni ndi zigawo zonse, onse awiri adachoka m'maboma omwe anali mu zisinthe; adakonzanso Boma la Zachuma, zomwe malonda ake adakula ndi misonkho yatsopano; idakhazikitsanso magalimoto ochulukirachulukira ndimatumbo omwe ankayenda mobwerezabwereza kuchokera kumapeto amodzi a ufumuwo kupita kwina komanso kutumikirako kwaposachedwa; ndipo adakulitsa magwiridwe antchito ndi miyambo yazikhalidwe.
Izi zikuganiza kuti ntchito zopitilira patsogolo komanso zamphamvu zomwe adalimbikitsa olimbana ndi zigawenga, zomwe Morelos adagonja. Munthu wolimba mtima komanso wosakhulupirika, sanadziyimitse pawailesi yakanema ndikutseka maso ake kuzunza komwe oyang'anira ake adachita, ngati atatumikira zenizeni ndi changu. Motero anayamba kudana ndi anthu a m'nthawi yake.
Atabwerera ku Spain, adalandira dzina la Count of Calderón (1818) ndi mitanda yayikulu ya Isabel la Católica ndi San Hermenegildo. Atakhala wamkulu wamkulu wa Andalusia komanso Bwanamkubwa wa Cádiz, adalamulira asitikali aku South America, omwe adanyamuka asananyamuke ndikumuponya m'ndende (1820). Atamasulidwa, anakana Boma la Valencia ndipo anamangidwanso m'ndende, ku Mallorca, mpaka 1823. "Anayeretsedwa" mu 1825, adakhalabe mndende ku Valencia mpaka kumwalira kwake.
