[DoodleDawg]

If you are going to split silly hairs, Union troops fired on Florida Militia before either of the events you mentioned.

And I can reply with the very real threat to the safety of Major Anderson and his men being spread around Charleston and which caused the move to Sumter. We can take this back as far as you want to go but the truly deciding factor was when they bombarded Sumter into submission.

[DiogenesLamp]

The truly deciding factor was the sending of that war fleet to attack the Confederates. As I mentioned, Anderson himself said this would start the war.