A rebel army led by commanders Miloje Todorović, Petar Dobrnjac, Ilija Barjaktarović, Paulj Matejić, Stevan Sinđelić and Veljko Petrović arrived on 1809 outside Niš. During preparations for the takeover of Niš, Paulj made a trench above the village of Kamenica. The trench, above the church, had two cannons. It was one of eleven or twelve rebel trenches around the city. On , when the Ottomans rushed on the Čegar hill defended by Stevan Sinđelić, and "vojvoda" Miloje did not let anybody aid them, Paulj decided against the command and went for Čegar. Paulj did not reach in time; when the Ottomans had surrounded and overtook Sinđelić's trench, he decided to blow up the gunpowder magazine and kill everyone on the hill. Paulj and his small unit were defeated and forced to retreat, as others, to Deligrad. He mostly stayed in Deligrad after this. The Serbian Ruling Council appointed Paulj the first permanent commander of Gurgusovac (Knjaževac) after the Treaty of Bucharest (1812).