Ray Deptula turns the American Revolution into a story of survival and loyalty

Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula has released a two-book historical saga that follows unlikely allies through the American Revolution, blending military experience with historical research. The series centers on how war reshapes ordinary lives, from Boston and the Continental Army to the South Carolina campaign.

Why it matters: - Ray Deptula’s two-book series aims to recast the American Revolution as a human story, not just a record of battles and outcomes. - The books focus on survival, loyalty and the moral strain of war. - The series highlights the experiences of people with little power to avoid the conflict, including an enslaved man and a teenage soldier.

What happened: - Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula has written a historical saga built around the American Revolution. - The series includes A Dog Before a Soldier and Can’t Find My Way Home. - Deptula draws on 24 years of service as a U.S. Naval Aviator and Political-Military Officer. - The announcement was made Sept. 22, 2026, from Merritt Island, Florida.

The details: - A Dog Before a Soldier follows teenage Jack Halliday after three years on a slave ship and his decision to join the British Army in 1774 out of necessity. - Jack is sent to Boston with the British security force as unrest spreads in colonial America. - The first book places Jack in major Revolutionary War flashpoints, including Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Long Island and the capture of Philadelphia. - Jack later deserts the British Army and heads to Annapolis, Maryland. - In Annapolis, Jack is taken in by a wealthy landowner who asks him to serve as a surrogate in the Continental Army alongside an enslaved man named Custis. - Jack is welcomed into the family and promised the landowner’s daughter’s hand in marriage. - Can’t Find My Way Home picks up after Jack and Custis survive the harsh winter of 1780-81 at Washington’s army encampment in New Jersey. - The second book sends them into the Battle of Camden, where Continental forces are crushed by the British. - The story then follows Jack and Custis as they are separated from their army and struggle through the South. - The title Can’t Find My Way Home comes from their effort to survive and return home. - Speaking Volumes is the publisher of both books. - A Dog Before a Soldier carries ISBN-13 979-8890224002. - Can’t Find My Way Home carries ISBN-13 979-8890224170. - The books are available on Amazon: A Dog Before a Soldier and Can’t Find My Way Home. - More information is available at the author’s website. - Deptula is also present on Facebook as ray.deptula, Instagram as raydeptula and X as DeptulaRay32221.

Between the lines: - Deptula’s military background is meant to lend credibility to the portrayal of unit loyalty, fear and endurance under pressure. - The books appear to use personal relationships to show how slavery and war intersected in the Revolutionary era. - The series frames the Continental Army experience as shaped by hardship as much as by ideology.

What’s next: - Readers can buy both books now through Amazon and learn more through Deptula’s website and social accounts. - The release positions the series for readers interested in Revolutionary War fiction grounded in military detail.

The bottom line: - Deptula’s series argues that the Revolution was fought and survived by people whose deepest bonds mattered more than politics.