A fact I never knew was that the Star of the West, sat at the bar almost all night before moving towards Fort Sumter. At daylight, once she was recognized as a threat, a Charleston picket boat fired flares and signaled lights of warning to Charleston, and escorted ahead of the Star of the West into the harbor.

I think the opposite. I believe the Star of the West would have made it. The two hits from the shore batteries that did hit didn't do any real damage, and she was within firing range from between 10 to 15 minutes. Once between the Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, Anderson would have had no choice but to reply, because Fort Sumter would then have been in the line of fire.

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David Upton