I read that during the war European observers were shocked to find that rather than shoot each-other for a bit then charge the Union and Confederacy would just line up and shoot each-other until one or the other would collapse more often then not.
Why weren't bayonet charges used as often as among European armies?
was it cultural, officers not trained with that in mind what?
it appears to be inexperience by these armies. in the beginning of the war, the armies grew in size, many times their normal peacetime strength and so you have inexperienced leaders at every level; and large numbers of raw recruits. Frank Vizetelly an English war correspondent makes mention of this in a National Geographic article in April of 1961 (100th anniversary issue).
I seem to recall that as the war went on bayonet charges were used more, at Spotsylvania, the Crater, Ft. Pillow, etc. These are all in 1864.
I think that one of the reasons was because of the improved accuracy of the new rifled muskets. They could be effective out past 500 yards while older smoothbore muskets were only effective 50-100 yards. So getting close for a bayonet charge when the enemy has rifles would be suicide.
Well, bayonet charges were often last ditch efforts or scare tactics. And they were awfully effective at being scary. It probably was pretty difficult to convince your men in armies made up so heavily of volunteers like the Union and Confederate armies that it was worth it when they had perfectly good muskets to stand and shoot with. However during the American Civil War there actually was a certain... enthusiasm for the bayonet and charging with it, at least amongst officers. One Federal Colonel wrote in his after action report that he had intended to charge with the bayonet but his regiment, after being asked twice, refused to do it.
There were actions where bayonet charges did occur of course, but they were relatively few considering. For instance at First Manassas when the 33rd Virginia charged an exposed artillery battery with bayonets, they weren't out of ammunition, they just attacked. Or Hancock at Gettysburg ordered a bayonet charge of the 1st Minnesota when he sent them into the gap in the Federal line. And of course the 20th Maine on Little Round Top.
Its noted in most writing on the subject that when one side actively prepared for a "bayonet battle" as it were, by the time they got there the enemy had retreated, due to the scare factor. Or, if the enemy stood in line and were trained effectively, their musketry decimated the attacker, so the bayonet charge never hit, at least not effectively.