Jefferson had written that “France possessing herself of Louisiana…is the embryo of a tornado which will burst on the countries on both shores of the Atlantic and involve in its effects their highest destinies.” Jefferson foresaw that whoever controlled Louisiana would likely be the most powerful nation in the world. He proved to be right. Napoleon’s desperate need for cash, and Jefferson’s yearning for Louisiana, gave the United States the key to global power for $15 million, a staggeringly small amount even then. Napoleon was a great soldier. Jefferson understood grand strategy.
