While the plot described in this novel is fiction, it is completely plausible in the view of the author. Spain and England were at war from 1796 to 1802, and a seaborne invasion of the Floridas had seemed imminent. During this time there actually was a minor invasion by Creek Indians under the direction of William Augustus Bowles, a British adventurer. He was betrayed, captured, and imprisoned. But the two nations were at war again as early as 1804. This came to an end after the Spanish fleet was destroyed (along with the French) during the Battle of Trafalgar.