WI: Louisiana Purchase includes Less Territory?

As a counterpart to the other thread currently bouncing around in these forums, what if Napoleon decides to just sell New Orleans to the Americans instead of the whole Louisiana Purchase? Perhaps an advisor convinces him that he can make double his money by selling this part now and the rest in a separate sale later on, or maybe even just keep it as a colony for France.
 
Selling only New Orleans doesn't make any sense - France wouldn't have ANY connection to the remaining Louisiana. If anything France may sell all BUT New Orleans.
 
I suppose France could retrocede the rest to Spain, which would be a nice complication down the line!

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Most likely the United States would have taken possession of it as a fait accompi, no matter who owned it. With New Orleans in their hands they would be the only ones with real access to it. Maybe sometime during the Mexican War for Independence the United States takes St Louis, and with it the rest of the territory in point of fact, then payed a pittance to Spain as a face-saving gesture for the Spanish. Most likely this wouldn't have even slowed down settlement of the area, though it might have the effect of setting a precedent that the United States could claim anywhere they had settlers (ie. Texas, California, Oregon country on both sides of the border, etc.)
 
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