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General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman | 
| Author: Ed Cray
Publisher: Cooper Square Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.19
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Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 103617
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 876
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.9
ISBN: 0815410425
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.918092
EAN: 9780815410423
ASIN: 0815410425
Publication Date: July 25, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! New Ed. 2000 Paperback.
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Product Description
A captivating and fanatically thorough reevaluation of Marshall's life and times.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
The Essence of a Soldier Statesman July 13, 2008
Here is an honorable man. He was born in Victorian America at Uniontown Pennsylvania in 1880. George Marshall was a descendent of Chief Justice John Marshall. He was a graduate of VMI and was commissioned an Officer in 1902. Ed Cray has done an exhaustive study of Mr. Marshall. He portrays his experiences in the Philippines and later his staff work during World War I for General Pershing. Mr. Cray goes into great detail in describing General Marshall as a correct modern 20th Century General during the late 1930's.
George Marshall was given the responsibility of Chief of Staff when the total Armed Forces stood at 200,000 strong. At full force in 1945, General Marshall commanded the largest Armed Service in U. S. History.
Mr. Marshall transitoned from his Military Command to the President's Cabinet after World War II. He assisted President Truman through extremely turbulent times. His demeanor was ever professional. His brainstorm of the Marshall Plan was his epiphany toward World stabilization in Europe. He further distinguished himself later as Secretary of Defense during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Truman could't do without him.
When he died in 1959 Winston Churchill grieved deeply. General George C. Marshall stands only with George Washington as a true Soldier Statesman.
 War is about beans, bullets and brains (training & morale) June 26, 2008
Reading this book gave me the insight (which I guess already had subconsiously) that war is not (just) about the best generals on the battlefield, but maybe even more about those generals organising the campaigns and (grand) strategy.
Untill reading this book I had no idea that the US was so unprepared for WWII as it was. The 28th army in the world in 1939! And Marshall being responsible for making it the efficient warmachine it became, running on trucks, Jeeps, USO, icecream and welltrained units.
Could the Germans and Japanese have won the war had Marshall not been Chief of Staff? Maybe not, but I wouldn't stake my life on that assumption! The way Marshall convinced Roosevelt on may 14th 1940 that a balanced army was needed to win the coming war makes you shiver had Roosevelt NOT listened to Marshall and Hopkins.
Cray writes a very clear story, weaving in and out history on a world scale and back to Marshall pruning his trees in his gardens as almost his only hobby during the war.
A great read and compulsory reading for every soldier and/or statesman.
B. Kreuger, Haarlem, the Netherlands
 Mediocre Biography of a Great Man January 31, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is not a bad biography. The facts are there as well as a reasonably complete account of a very complicated part of history. But the people and groups that Marshall dealt with are simplified to the point of caricature. Similarly, matters of grand strategy and the new tactics stemming from technological advance are treated merely as things that Marshall had views on. It's not clear from the book that the author understands anything about war as fought in the mid-20th century above the cartoon level. Of course there were many people; of course things were complicated, and a great deal happened; but in over 700 pages we are entitled to some subtlety and insight, which aren't there. General Marshall, one of the truly great mean, deserves better than this.
Great Man, Great Biography October 30, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
For those of you who like their reviews to be direct and to the point: Ed Cray, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, has written the single best one volume life of George C. Marshall. The book is 15 years old and is unlikely to be surpassed for another 15-20 years. It is the kind of book that will still be in print 70 years after its initial publication.
Why? Well, it is well-written and a pleasure to read. More importantly, Cray does an excellent job of giving his readers a character portrait of the great general that brings the man alive. Not an easy thing to do with a subject as taciturn as Marshall. The man that emerges is one of real character. He became a protege of General of the Armies John J. Pershing only after Marshall stood up to him as an overage captain, yelling at the general telling him he was wrong when Pershing had criticized Marshall's division. As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Marshall was the critical figure in building the military that defeated the axis powers. He selected the commanders, who often went on to greater fame than he enjoyed. He was the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war and often had to battle with his naval counterpart Admiral Ernest J. King. In the realm of allied strategy, he faced off against the head of the British Army, Field-Marshal Sir Alan Brooke. In both cases healthy mutual respect kept from making their differences and disputes personal. In running the army during the war, Marshall's administrative style was highly effective and can provide a model for many in other fields to follow. He also suffered. His stepson, who he had done a good deal to raise, was killed in Italy. It says a good deal about the man that he made no effort to protect one his family from dangerous assignments.
After the war, Marshall served as Secretary of State and then later as Secretary of Defense. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for the plan the State Department developed to rebuild Europe after the devastation of the war. He was twice "Time" magazine's "Man of the Year."
Marshall was the first five-star general in U.S. history and that was no accident. In this fine book Cray makes that clear.
Gentlemen, scholar, and Inspiration October 3, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a fantastic biography of an incredible leader. Marshall is usually associated with the European Recovery Act and as the Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II. He influenced so much more during his long Army career. A true gentlemen and scholar, his long career and dedication to service is an inspiration for all of us today.
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