Do you think army life was one grand adventure after another?
Sorry, but army life was, for the most part, 99 percent boring routine and 1 percent sheer terror of battle (unless the soldiers were on campaign, in which case the percentages were largely reversed). "The decisive events of a soldier's life are few and far between, and the intervals are devoted to waiting for these turning-points," wrote a Union officer.
Here's a glimpse at the routine, per General Orders No. 18, issued June 1, 1863, at Folly Island, S.C.:
Excerpt of General Orders No. 18, establishing schedule for Union forces in the area of Charleston Harbor and environs. Issued June 1, 1863, from headquarters of U.S. forces, Folly Island, S.C., by order of Brig. Gen. Vogdes.