“Lincoln sent 8 warships to attack the Confederates”
Kind of irrelevant since South Carolina militia had already fired on an unarmed US troop transport ship sailing to Sumter in January 1861 before Lincoln had even assumed the Presidency.
People keep repeating that, and they don't really care if it is accurate.
Cadets at the Citadel took it upon themselves to fire at "Star of the West", which was not a "troop transport ship", it was a cargo ship carrying provisions.
These cadets were not part of the Confederate Military chain of command, and they did slight damage to the ship.
But if you are going to say whoever shot first caused the war, then I will inform you that Union soldiers fired at Florida Militia before the "Star of the West" incident even happened.