He was the commander of the standing army in 1874 and 1875 at the eve of the Herzegovinian uprising, the government of Danilo Stefanović fell, in which he was the Minister of War during the Serbian-Turkish Wars. He was also in the Cabinet of Stevča Mihailović II with Jovan Ristić as Minister of War, the Cabinet of Ljubomir Kaljević where he held the post of Minister of Armed Forces as well as other later governments (1882-1883). He was a man that could be trusted, who prudently presented his views and easily won over the listeners. During his time, preparations were made for The First Serbian-Turkish War and under it ended. In the Second Serbian-Turkish War, he was the commander of the Ibar Army, which distinguished itself on Javor (mountain in Serbia).