Beakes was born on January 2, 1831, in
Middletown, New York. He was the youngest of 11 children. When the
Civil War began, Beakes enlisted and was appointed Assistant Surgeon for the
1st Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry, where he served in the
Army of the Potomac. He was later promoted to Surgeon for the
141st New York Volunteer Infantry, where he served in the Army of the Cumberland and with
General Sherman until the war's end. He took part in various battles in the War. In 1868, he was a delegate to the New York Soldiers' and Sailors' Convention. Beakes married Elizabeth Bull in 1858. Their children were Michigan congressman
Samuel Willard, Robert Osborn, and Gertrude. He was buried in the Bloomingburg Rural Cemetery. == References ==