The line to their right extended all the way to the bay on the north side of the fort. Likewise, the line to their left extended all the way to the bay on the south side of the fort. Union ironclads were in the bay, and so by nightfall, Spanish Fort was completely surrounded.
The Union forces began constructing defensive works and brought their siege guns up into better positions. They began shelling the fort, and also kept a heavy skirmish line in the front. Several troops on both sides were killed or wounded.
At night the Union troops advanced their skirmish lines and dug rifle pits.
As Private William Wiley remembered:
The rebels continued to shell us pretty heavy . We had to dig out places in the hillside and build bomb proofs out of logs by splitting logs and putting the halves over head and throwing dirt over them to sleep in and go into when the rebels shelled us too hard.
