Former Navy officer spotlights the Revolution’s Southern campaign in new novel

Ray Deptula’s new book, Can’t Find My Way Home, revisits the American Revolution’s brutal Southern campaign through the survival story of two unlikely companions after the Battle of Camden. The novel aims to bring attention to a decisive but often overlooked chapter of the war.

Why it matters: - The American Revolution is often remembered for Lexington and Yorktown, but the Southern campaign helped decide the war’s outcome. - Deptula’s novel puts that overlooked theater in the foreground, where shifting loyalties and battlefield losses reshaped the fight for independence. - The book also leans into themes of duty, friendship and moral choice under extreme pressure.

What happened: - Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula released Can’t Find My Way Home, the second book in his Those Damned Yankees series. - The novel was published by Speaking Volumes and carries a release date of June 30, 2026. - The story follows British deserter Jack Halliday and Custis, an enslaved man, after they are separated from the Continental Army following the Battle of Camden. - The book is available from Amazon.

The details: - Deptula draws on historical research and the sequence of Revolutionary War events to frame the novel. - The characters survive the harsh winter of 1780-81 at Washington’s encampment in New Jersey before moving into the campaign in the South. - The Battle of Camden becomes the turning point, with Continental forces decimated and Britain gaining a dangerous foothold in the southern provinces. - The novel places Jack Halliday and Custis in South Carolina, where neighbor turned against neighbor and rival militias fought some of the war’s most violent engagements. - Deptula said the book centers on Jack’s relationship with Custis and Jack’s sense of moral obligation to protect a friend. - The title comes from the pair’s desperate struggle to survive and find their way home. - The book is listed as ISBN-13 979-8890224170. - Ray Deptula is a native of Wells, Maine, and a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy and the U.S. Naval War College. - Deptula served 24 years in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Aviator and Political-Military Officer across Europe, the Mideast, Africa and the Caribbean. - Deptula lives in Merritt Island, Florida, with his wife, Julia. - More information is available at Ray Deptula’s website.

Between the lines: - The book uses fiction to widen attention on a phase of the war that is less familiar to many readers. - The emphasis on an enslaved character and a British deserter signals a focus on the human cost of the Revolution, not just battlefield strategy. - The novel’s message suggests that wartime loyalty can be personal as much as political.

What's next: - Readers can expect the book to circulate as part of Deptula’s ongoing Those Damned Yankees series. - The author’s website and retail listing provide the main paths for readers seeking the novel or more background on the series.

The bottom line: - Can’t Find My Way Home uses a fictional survival story to spotlight the Southern campaign as a decisive part of the American Revolution.