With the victory of Napoleon over Russia in 1813 and subsequently Britain in late 1815 and early 1816, the United States of America found itself on the victorious end of the War of 1812, which ended officially with William Clark's (of Lewis and Clark fame) capture of Louisbourg, the last British stronghold in Canada, on May 4th, 1814. Britain's losses in Europe opened the door for a rapid American absorption of Canada and Caribbean territories, as well as Andrew Jackson's swift campaign to seize Florida and Cuba before France could make designs on the former Spanish territories. As a further result of Spain's ruling at the hands of Napoleon, the Central and South American colonies detached themselves quickly from Spanish control, sometimes even with the help of the elite installed by the d