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

Ray Deptula’s new book, Cant Find My Way Home, revisits the brutal Southern campaign of the American Revolution through the story of a British deserter and an enslaved man after the Battle of Camden. The novel, released June 30, 2026, aims to broaden attention beyond Lexington and Yorktown to the war’s decisive fighting in the South.

Why it matters: - The American Revolution’s outcome was decided in the South, not just at Lexington and Yorktown. - Deptula’s novel pushes that overlooked campaign into the foreground for readers of historical fiction. - The story centers on survival, loyalty and moral choice inside a war that divided families, communities and militias.

What happened: - Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula released Cant Find My Way Home, the second book in his Those Damned Yankees series. - The book was published by Speaking Volumes on June 30, 2026. - The novel follows British deserter Jack Halliday and Custis, an enslaved man, after they are separated from the Continental Army following the Battle of Camden. - Deptula draws on historical research and the sequence of Revolutionary War events to frame the story.

The details: - Jack Halliday and Custis begin the book with the Continental Army after the harsh winter of 1780-81 at Washington’s encampment in New Jersey. - Spring sends the pair into the Battle of Camden, where British forces crush the Continental Army. - The defeat weakens American hopes of driving Britain from the southern provinces. - Jack and Custis then must survive in South Carolina, where trust is scarce and violence is widespread. - The book portrays rival militias and neighbors fighting one another in one of the Revolution’s most brutal theaters. - Deptula said military service is sustained by loyalty to comrades, not political ideology. - Deptula said the relationship between Jack and Custis drives the novel, including Jack’s moral obligation to protect Custis as a friend. - The title, Can’t Find My Way Home, comes from the pair’s desperate struggle to find safety and return home.

Between the lines: - The novel uses a personal friendship to examine slavery, survival and loyalty inside a war for independence. - Deptula’s framing suggests the Southern campaign deserves the same public memory as the war’s better-known northern milestones. - The book also reflects a broader historical-fiction trend: using individual characters to make large, familiar events feel immediate.

What's next: - Cant Find My Way Home is available from Amazon. - More information is available at Ray Deptula’s website. - Deptula is continuing the Those Damned Yankees series with the release of its second installment.

The bottom line: - Deptula is betting that the Revolution’s neglected Southern battlefield can resonate as strongly as its best-known moments when told through two men fighting to stay alive.