Francisco de Longa

Francisco Tomás de Anchia y Urquiza (1783–1831) was a Spanish military commander. Better known as Francisco de Longa, he first saw action during the Peninsular War as a guerrilla leader, eventually becoming incorporated into the regular army, promoted to lieutenant general and being appointed captain general of Old Castile and captain general of Valencia and Murcia (1827).

With the French authorities looking for him, he was forced to flee to La Rioja, where he joined, briefly, the guerrilla bands of Friar Constantino and Francisco Fernández de Castro, Marquis of Barrio Lucio. Returning to his region, on 25 December 1809 he attacked a detachment of forty French troops at Nanclares. ) and at San Marcial (31 August). The following October, his division together with Charles, Count Alten's Light Division saw action at the pass of Vera de Bidasoa and, crossing into France, at Ascaín.

Longa's guerilla forces aided in depriving the French forces of intelligence and provided intelligence of French locations to Wellington. Longa also achieved disruption: French internal coordination and logistics were hampered, negatively affecting French discipline and morale. The major achievements of the Battle of Vitoria were a greater French casualty rate vs allied forces (approximately 8,000 to 5,000 respectively) and capture of 151 of 153 French cannons and 415 French caissons (ammunition chests). Some argue that without forces like Longa's guerillas, French forces would not have been defeated. Within the following month, most French forces left Spain and French rule was practically ended.

His detailed service records show three actions in 1809; twenty-three in 1810; nineteen in 1811; fourteen in 1812 and seventeen in 1813, with 2,195 French troops killed and 4,024 taken prisoner.

Post-war career In 1825 he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed captain general of Old Castile. In 1827 he was appointed captain general of Valencia and Murcia.