So you admit that the south was engaged in war prior to firing on Sumter since it was 'capturing' Union warships?
Among other subjects, you have spent almost four years on FR with your mental m..t.rb....n on such subjects as who started the war.
Since you always fall back on the Supreme Court as the master of everything in its domain, you obviously know that in several cases, the Supreme Court set the date of the beginning of the war with Lincoln's call to blockade Southern ports on April, 19. 1861.
If that does not suffice, the Confederate government set the beginning between the capture of Ft. Sumter by Federal forces and the appearance of the armed Star of the West.
So, knock that around for a while.