The Star of the West is the name of a American civilian steamship hired by the United States government to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of Fort Sumter shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War, but was fired on by Confederates in its effort to do so at the dawning of the American Civil War. The ship was a substitute for the USS Brooklyn, an armed screw sloop which continued to escort the Star of the West on its journey.

It was a 1,172 tonne steamship launched June 17, 1852. Its length was 228.3 ft and its beam 32.7 ft, with wooden hullside paddle wheels and two masts. She started service between New York and San Juan de Nicaragua on October 20, 1852 and continued this service for Charles Morgan from July 1853 to March 1856. In June 1857, she started the New York to Aspinwall service for the United States Mail Steamship Company until September 1859 when it went onto the New York, Havana, New Orleans service. In January 1861, she was chartered to the War Department.

Weeks after South Carolina had seceded, but before other states had done so to form the Confederacy the Star of the West was fired upon by cadets from The Citadel stationed at the Morris Island battery as the ship entered Charleston Harbor. The Star of the West tried to resupply Major Robert Anderson's garrison at Fort Sumter. The Star of the West was given a warning shot across the bow and turned about to leave the harbour mouth. She was hit three times by what were effectively the first shots of the American Civil War. Although the Star of the West did not suffer any major damage, her captain, John McGowan, considered it too dangerous to continue and turned about to leave the harbor. The mission was abandoned and the Star of the West headed for her home port of New York Harbor.

Afterwards it was hired as a troop transport. The Star of the West sailed for Texas to pick up seven companies of United States troops assembled at Indianola. On April 18, 1861, while anchored off Pass Caballo bar leading into Matagorda Bay, the ship was captured by Colonel Earl Van Dorn and members of two Galveston militia units, the Wigfall Guards and the Island City Rifles. Two days later the ship was taken to New Orleans, where Louisiana's Governor Moore changed its name to the CSS St. Philip. The old name persisted, however, and the Star of the West served as a naval station and hospital ship until Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans.