Former Navy officer spotlights the Revolutionary War’s southern campaign in new novel

Ray Deptula, a former U.S. Naval Officer, is releasing Can’t Find My Way Home, the second book in his Those Damned Yankees series, on June 30, 2026. The historical novel focuses on the Battle of Camden and the brutal Southern campaign that helped decide the American Revolution.

Why it matters: - The American Revolution is often remembered for Lexington and Yorktown, but the war’s outcome was also shaped in the South. - Can’t Find My Way Home puts that overlooked Southern campaign at the center of Deptula’s second novel. - The book uses the Revolutionary War’s southern violence to explore loyalty, survival and moral conflict.

What happened: - Former U.S. Naval Officer Ray Deptula wrote Can’t Find My Way Home, the second installment in his Those Damned Yankees series. - The book releases June 30, 2026, through Speaking Volumes. - The novel follows British deserter Jack Halliday and his companion Custis, an enslaved man, after the Battle of Camden. - The characters are separated from the Continental Army and try to survive in South Carolina.

The details: - Deptula based the novel on historical research and the sequence of Revolutionary War events. - Jack Halliday and Custis serve with the Continental Army after the harsh winter of 1780-81 at Washington’s army encampment in New Jersey. - Their path leads to the Battle of Camden, where Continental forces are crushed by the British. - The defeat weakens American hopes of driving Britain from the southern provinces. - The story follows the pair through a region marked by lawlessness, shifting loyalties and militia warfare. - Custis’ status as property repeatedly tests Jack’s sense of right and wrong. - 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 desperate effort to find safety and return home. - The book’s ISBN-13 is 979-8890224170. - The novel is available from Amazon. - More information is available at raydeptulaauthor.com.

Between the lines: - Deptula is using fiction to reframe a war story that many readers learned only through its northern turning points. - The novel links battlefield history to broader questions about friendship, duty and human nature. - Deptula also frames the story as a warning that old conflicts still echo in modern life.

What's next: - Readers can expect the book to expand Deptula’s Those Damned Yankees series. - The June 30 release gives the novel a place in the 2026 historical fiction market. - Deptula’s author platform and online channels may drive interest after publication.