Robert M was the son of Joseph & Eliza Sommerville, of Clarksburg, Va. (then). He was killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend 3/27/1814 during the Creek War.
Robert left Clarksburg suddenly in Jan of 1810 and stayed with his cousin John in Knoxville for the winter. He was a frequent correspondent with his uncle, Wm Sommerville a Revolutionary War veteran living in Martinsburg, Berkeley Co Va.(then). In Jan. of 1810 Robert requested that his uncle write a letter of introduction to Capt. James Irwin, a Land agent working in the south. In May of 1810 Robert wrote to his uncle requesting a letter of introduction to the Sec. of War regarding admission to the army. If Robert thought his uncle would be supportive in this endeavor - he was wrong. His uncle told him to forget the army and study law. Robert apparently took his uncle's advise studying law with Judge Humphreys of Palmyra, Tenn. for which the elder Sommerville posted the surety. Robert was admitted to the bar on 8/1/1812. However, he could not resist the allure of the army and first in the W. Tennessee Volunteers Coffee's Rgmt Cav. then appointed lieut. in the 39th on 7/29/1813. Wm notes in his diary that Robert's father Joseph and his brother John intended to "visit Robert who has been in command of the 3rd division in "12 days against the Indians" with Gen. (Andrew)Jackson. Only 8 months later Robert was dead.
The towns of both Somerville*, Ala., and Tenn. are named for Robert. After the battle, the bodies of the dead soldiers were weighted and sunk into the river before the army pulled back to Ft. Williams with the wounded. This was to prevent the scalping and desecration of dead by the Red Stick (Creek) warriors. The wounded who died later are buried at Ft William Cemetery.

*The spelling of Sommerville was flexible in the days before standardized spelling. The above information was verified through the diary remnant of Wm Sommerville which can be found at the University of West Va in their special collection. The name is also spelled with 2 m's in the military records of the Nat'l Archives. Robert's father Joseph frequently spelled his name Summerville.