Battle of Kilsyth The Battle of Kilsyth was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms which took place on 15 August 1645 at Kilsyth . Despite a numerical disadvantage , the battle was another victory for the Royalist general Montrose over the Covenanter s , and marked the end of William Baillie ' s pursuit of the Royalist forces . Troop movements . Baillie and his army were at Perth attending the meeting of the Scottish Estates . He had been given command of 6 , 000 foot and 800 horse ; a mixture of new levies from Fife , a number of regular regiments withdrawn from England , and remnants of other forces already defeated by Montrose . The cavalry was mainly regular dragoon s . In addition to these troops , the Earl of Lanark had raised a levy of 1 , 000 infantry and 500 cavalry from the estate of his brother , the Duke of Hamilton , in Clydesdale , and was en route north to join the main body . When news of this troop movement reached Montrose , he decided to confront these forces individually , before they could join up . Marching from Dunkeld he skirted Baillie ' s force at Perth and travelled via Kinross , Glenfarg and Alloa , crossing the Forth near Stirling , and circumnavigating Stirling Castle . By nightfall on 14 August , the army was camped in a meadow near Colzium , by Kilsyth , in the area around Colzium Castle . This area is still known as Cavalry Park in memory of the event . Baillie learned of Montrose ' s advance almost immediately , but it took a little time for its purpose to become apparent . Realising that his opponent had gained an advantage and that Lanark ' s forces were in danger , he moved his men southward , reaching Stirling by the line of the modern A9 road . On the same night as Montrose reached Colzium , Baillie was only three miles off at Hollinbush . He arrived late and his men had little rest . Overnight , his scouts located the Royalist encampment , and at dawn the next morning his troops were on the move and , marching directly across country , reaching the village of Banton . This gave the Covenanters the higher ground around the eastern rim of the hollow occupied by the Royalist infantry . The battle . The Royalist troops were clearly visible , undisturbed by the arrival of the main army of their enemies . Having a healthy respect for his opposition , and appreciating that his own forces had already marched several miles in full kit , Baillie decided to take positions where he was and wait for Lanark ' s force to appear . If Lanark arrived on the field , Baillie would have Montrose trapped between his force and the reinforcements ; and if Montrose decided to attack Lanark as he arrived , Baillie could advance against the Royalist army from the rear . A direct attack by Montrose against the Covenanter line would face daunting high ground held by a numerically superior opponent . Although Baillie ' s decision was sound , he was not allowed to adhere to it . His orders were subject to the approval of the " Committee of Estates " , consisting of the Earls of Argyll , Crawford and Tullibardine , and the Lords Elcho , and Balfour of Burleigh , together with a number of Calvinist clergymen . Worried by the possibility of Montrose escaping to fight another day , they ordered a flank march around the Royalist position . Baillie protested against the redeployment , but was overruled . Clashes soon broke out as the Covenanter army made their flank march , with the left wing of Baillie ' s force ( now the rear of the flanking column ) attacking the MacLean infantry occupying cottages on Montrose ' s left flank , and the cavalry on the Covenant right flank ( or van ) attacking the Royalist cavalry . Other Covenant and Royalist units joined the fray , acting without orders . Montrose seized the unexpected opportunity , and sent his cavalry and Highlanders against the now disrupted Covenant column . The mass of the Royalist infantry subsequently joined in the attack . Baillie ' s army soon broke and ran . Approximately three - quarters of the Covenanter troops perished . Baillie himself fled south with an escort of cavalry , but was caught in the notorious Dullatur Bog , a marshy area lying between the head waters of the Kelvin and the Bonny . He managed to escape , although he left most of his escort behind , and reached safety at Stirling Castle . During construction of the Forth and Clyde Canal , the bodies of several troopers , one still seated on a horse , were recovered from the bog . Aftermath . Lanark ' s forces were told of the defeat , and dispersed . Lanark himself and the Committee of Estates escaped across the border to England . Briefly , Montrose found himself undisputed master of Scotland , and proceeded to Glasgow , where he summoned a parliament in the name of the King . Unknown to Montrose , the victory was too late ; the Battle of Naseby had already been lost and the Royalist cause was in ruins . Montrose made an attempt to move south in support of the king , but was himself decisively defeated at Philiphaugh . Battlefield . Ordnance Survey maps mark the battlefield as being in the vicinity of Banton Loch which was created in the 19th century . The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009 .