Battlefield Bugles & Louisiana’s Master of Music

Every community has its leaders and builders, but it takes an artist to give a town its spirit, its celebration, and its song. Resting before you is the man who provided the soundtrack for 19th-century Louisiana: Edgar Alonzo Parks.

Born right here in Louisiana on March 19, 1845, Edgar was a musical prodigy from the start. By the age of eight, he was singing vocal solos for local audiences. Recognizing his natural gift, local merchant and pianist Charles More took the young boy under his wing, giving him his very first piano lessons. Edgar went on to train under regional masters, studying in Hannibal, joining concert troupes like the Hannibal Calliopean, and mastering the violin and cornet.

When the Civil War erupted in 1861, 16-year-old Edgar answered the call of duty. He enlisted as a musician in the regimental band of the 10th Missouri State Militia before transferring to the 11th Illinois Cavalry.

In April 1862, Edgar was thrust into one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history: the Battle of Shiloh. When the regiment was cut to pieces under heavy fire, military band members were tasked with one of the most perilous jobs on the field—dropping their instruments to retrieve and care for the wounded amidst the smoke and cannon fire. Edgar later served as company bugler for Captain Clint Allison’s unit in the Missouri State Militia, sounding troop movements along the divided border.

When peace returned, Edgar took his talent across the Midwest. He formed his own touring concert troupes, traveling through Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and directed theater orchestra pits in Milwaukee.

Yet despite opportunities in bigger cities, his heart belonged to Louisiana.

Returning home for good, Edgar became our town’s maestro. He founded and conducted the famous Parks Military Band and Orchestra and organized the renowned Silver Cornet Band, traveling to teach brass band music across Missouri and Illinois. Downtown, he opened a general music store, supplying brass horns, violins, and sheet music for parlor pianos across Pike County.

Whenever Louisiana celebrated a Fourth of July jubilee, a steamboat arrival, or a summer dance, it was Edgar Parks' brass notes ringing across the river that set the town in motion.