Ray Deptula spotlights the South’s role in the Revolution in new novel

Former Navy officer and author Ray Deptula is releasing Can’t Find My Way Home, a historical novel centered on the American Revolution’s Southern campaign and the Battle of Camden. The book, due June 30, 2026, aims to bring attention to the brutal fighting in South Carolina that helped decide the war’s outcome.

Why it matters: - The American Revolution’s Southern campaign is often overshadowed by Lexington, the winter at Valley Forge and Yorktown. - Deptula’s novel focuses on the violence in South Carolina that helped determine the war’s outcome. - The book adds attention to the human cost of the Revolution, including slavery, loyalty and survival.

What happened: - Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula is publishing Can’t Find My Way Home, the second book in the Those Damned Yankees series. - The novel is set for release on June 30, 2026. - Speaking Volumes is publishing the book. - The book follows British deserter Jack Halliday and Custis, an enslaved man, after the Battle of Camden. - The story tracks the pair as they become separated from the Continental Army and try to survive in South Carolina.

The details: - The novel draws on historical research and the sequence of Revolutionary War events. - Jack Halliday and Custis are shown serving with the Continental Army after surviving the winter of 1780-81 at Washington’s army encampment in New Jersey. - The Battle of Camden leaves the Continental forces devastated and weakens American hopes of driving Britain from the southern provinces. - The characters move through a South Carolina landscape marked by lawlessness, distrust and fighting between neighbors and rival militias. - Deptula said the book centers on the relationship between Jack and Custis and Jack’s moral obligation to protect a friend. - The title comes from the pair’s struggle to find safety and return home. - The book is listed with ISBN-13 979-8890224170. - The novel is available from Amazon.

Between the lines: - Deptula is using fiction to highlight a part of the war that changed the conflict’s trajectory but gets less public attention. - The focus on an enslaved character underscores how the Revolution’s ideals coexisted with slavery in the South. - The story’s emphasis on moral choices suggests the book is aiming at more than battlefield history.

What's next: - The book will reach readers on June 30, 2026. - Deptula’s website offers more information at More information. - Deptula is also promoting the book through social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

The bottom line: - Can’t Find My Way Home reframes the Revolutionary War as a struggle decided as much in the South’s chaos as in its better-known northern battles.