The Steamer Webb was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1871. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the steamer Webb and the owners of the steamer St. Lawrence. The Webb was a steamboat that had been damaged in a collision with the St. Lawrence. The owners of the Webb sued the owners of the St. Lawrence for damages, claiming that the St. Lawrence had been negligent in the collision. The Supreme Court held that the owners of the St. Lawrence were liable for the damages caused by the collision. The Court found that the St. Lawrence had been negligent in the collision, and that the owners of the Webb were entitled to damages. The Court also held that the owners of the St. Lawrence were liable for the costs of repairing the Webb, as well as for any other damages that had been caused by the collision. The Court's decision in The Steamer Webb established the principle that the owners of a vessel are liable for any damages caused by their negligence. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still used today to determine liability in cases involving collisions between vessels.

In The Steamer Webb, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a steamboat that had been sold in good faith by its owner could be seized and forfeited for violation of U.S. customs laws due to an alleged smuggling operation conducted on board without the knowledge or consent of the owner. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Field argued that it would be unjust to punish an innocent party who had no knowledge or involvement in any illegal activity simply because they owned property used in such activities. He reasoned that if this were allowed, then anyone who purchased goods from another person could potentially face forfeiture if those goods were later found to have been illegally obtained or smuggled into the country without their knowledge or consent. Furthermore, he noted that there was no evidence presented at trial indicating any wrongdoing on behalf of the steamship's owners and thus they should not suffer punishment for something which they did not do nor had control over.