The Southern forces then in Fort Moultree fired on the Star of the West and these were the first shots of the Civil War -- against an unarmed civilian ship attempting to supply Fort Sumter.
Where to begin? Let's start with the "unarmed" civilian ship. There were 200 armed troops on board the Star of the West hiding below decks so they wouldn't be seen. If was an expedition to reenforce Fort Sumter, not just resupply it. From Vol. I, Series I, page 131 of the Official Records (my emphasis below):
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
New York, January 5, 1861.
Major T. H. HOLMES,
Eighth Infantry,
Superintendent Recruiting Service, Fort Columbus:
SIR: By direction of the General-in-Chief, you will detach this evening two hundred of the best-instructed men at Fort Columbus, by the steamship Star of the West, to re-enforce the garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina.
They will be furnished with arms, and, if possible, one hundred rounds of ammunition per man. Orders will be given to the proper officers of the staff department to furnish one hundred stand of spare arms and subsistence for three months.
The officers assigned to duty with the detachment are Lieuts. C. R. Woods, Ninth Infantry; W. A. Webb, Fifth Infantry; C. W. Thomas, First Infantry, and Asst. Surg. P. G. S. Ten Broeck, Medical Department, all of whom will report for duty to Major Anderson, commanding Fort Sumter.
Yours,
L. THOMAS.
Now for the "first shots of the war" claim of your post. Perhaps what you posted is just Yankee history. The day before the Star of the West entered South Carolina's territorial waters, US guard(s) fired at a group of locals trying to enter Fort Barrancas in Florida.
From Wikipeadia (I know, it's Wikipedia):
His decision to abandon Barrancas was hastened when, around midnight of January 8, 1861, his guards repelled a group of local men intending to take the fort. Some historians suggest that these were the first shots fired by United States forces in the Civil War.
But there is more than Wikipedia. From Guardians of the Gulf, subtitled Pensacola Fortifications 1698-1980, by James C and Irene S Coleman, page 39:
... Slemmer began to consolidate arms at Fort Barrancas, and on January 8 had moved part of his company from barracks into Fort Barrancas. ... About midnight on the eighth a group of men approached the fort and failing to answer when challenged, were fired upon by the guard. ... These were the first shots fired by Federals in the Civil War.
Nice little book. I bought it at Fort Pickens a few days ago.
Some "historians"? I doubt that.
"A group of local men intending to take the fort."??!!
On January 8, 1861 -- are you kidding me?
On January 8, 1861, by ANY definition of the Civil War you wish to imagine, Fort Barrancas in FLORIDA was Federal property, and any attempt to take it was simple lawlessness -- not Civil War.
Why is this absolutely true? Because Florida did not secede until January 10.
Now, back to the Star of the West. Let me again make the key points here:
And that's the key point: from day one the South was not willing to negotiate peacefully to resolve such issues, but instead attacked them with military force.
Southern sympathizer President Buchanan took the South's use of force against Star of the West as an excuse to retreat and do nothing.
President Lincoln, by contrast, intended to match force with force, if necessary. But in the end he also withdrew those ships, having accomplished nothing to help Fort Sumter.
http://civilwartalk.com/Resource_Center/Arms_and_Ordnance/Famous_Weapons/famous-weapons-the-last-shot-gun-from-appomattox-court-house-a87.html
If one assumes that cannon fire brings about war, then Vicksburg is the location of the first shot.
But why assume that cannon fire alone starts a war.
How about rifle fire?
Well then, the Union troops in Pensacola would have been the first to fire in the war.
You were right.
I noticed your knowledgeable post about Governors Island on the Free Republic website. The last U.S. Army Recruiting Officer who was stationed at Governors Island before the Civil War was Major Theophilus Hunter Holmes. After having been part of organizing the relief mission (Star of the West) that was sent from Governors Island to reinforce Fort Sumter, Holmes resigned from the U.S. army and thereafter became a Confederate general. Wikipedia says that while still in the U.S. army, Holmes secretly supplied the Confederacy with information about the relief mission, but there is no footnote connected to that entry. I’ve talked to the NPS folks at Governors Island. They are familiar with the allegation and think that it appeared in one or more NY newspapers at the time, but they can’t find any further info on the incident. Do you know anything about this or could you suggest anything? I live in South Carolina and am trying to track this down without driving to NYC. This type of treachery would be an inconsistency for Holmes, but I’m writing a biography about him and intend to let history’s chips fall where they may. Thanks, Walter Hilderman