April and May 1859

After the minor battle of Pieve del Cairo the month of April swiftly passed by with little action on either side.  The Austrian General Benedek, after failing to properly scout out the adjacent areas moved through Pieve del Cairo and smacked into General Perrie's little force again at Sale.  General Benedek waited and waited to see if the Italians would retreat before him.
The closing days of April were rainy and that halted the campaign for both sides.  Roads turned to mud and the armies rested for a few days waiting for the weather to clear.
As the first days of May rolled in the Italians sprang forth and starting moving towards the north in the hopes of catching the army or armies that had taken Novara. The area around Sale bristled with life as more Italian troops poured in to bolster Perrier's smaller force.  The advantage General Benedek had in numbers quickly vanished.  While the Italians busied themselves with probing for the Austrians, the Austrians too woke up and moved also looking for the extra Italian forces.  Frustrated with his Austrian Generals lack of drive, Field Marshall Gyulai sent orders for Benedek to attack the Italians to his front.  In the meantime, the town of Vercelli rang it's church bells as Italian forces moved into the town.
Accepting his orders, General Benedek called a war council with his sub commanders and the planning for the Battle of Sale began.



 Referee Report: The turn for April only last two phases with little to no action between the two commanders.  The month of May, in contrast, witnessed 4 phases with the impetus winner being the Austrians but the Italians doing the most moving.  At this point the Austrian commander is taking his time and not pushing all along his line.  The Italian commander seems willing to take a few more chances.  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out and if the two commanders continue with their style of play.  The Battle of Sale will happen on July 28th.  I'll post the AAR as soon as the battle ends.