During the battle, the Royalist general James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose defeated the forces of the Covenanter-dominated Scottish government, commanded by William Baillie.

[2] Following the Scottish Parliament's decision to intervene in the First English Civil War on the Parliamentarian side, King Charles I had appointed Montrose as his Captain-General in Scotland and charged him with conducting the Royalist resistance.

His troops plundered large parts of the west Highlands that winter, before routing and destroying the forces of key government supporter the Marquess of Argyll at Inverlochy on 2 February.

[3] Baillie, a veteran soldier, had seen his forces reduced in size by the controlling body of the Scottish Parliament, the Committee of Estates, which had the power to overrule his orders.

Conscious of the weakened state of his army, Baillie spent the early summer months trying to evade contact with Montrose, and both forces manoeuvred through Moray and Aberdeenshire for several weeks in an attempt to secure an advantage.

[4] Early on the morning of 2 July, he received word that the Covenanters were rapidly approaching the ford of the Don and made a decision to attack, mainly as he knew that Lindsay was finally en route to reinforce Baillie.

In Mac Colla's absence, the Irish troops supporting Montrose were commanded by Col. Manus O'Cahan, who showed a high degree of military discipline in the coming battle by unleashing his men at the critical point.

[2] Montrose had drawn up his army with the majority of the infantry in the centre and the cavalry on the flanks: Aboyne on the left and Gordon on the right, each strengthened by a unit of Irish foot.

[4] Balcarres' cavalry broke and retreated: Baillie, now having no choice but to commit to the battle, ordered Halkett forward but the latter was driven off by the Royalist left wing under Aboyne.

[2] After the defeat an unhappy Baillie tendered his resignation to the Committee of Estates, but was compelled to stay in command until his intended replacement, Maj-Gen. Monro, could be recalled from the war in Ireland.