Victory at Killiecrankie did little to change the strategic position; in February 1690, Buchan and Lochiel mirrored Dundee's letter of June 1689 by requesting money, weapons plus 4,000-foot and 1,000 cavalry. These demands were unrealistic, while the lack of support from the Scottish nobility led to a request that James' illegitimate son the Duke of Berwick be appointed leader. Obtaining supplies still required access to a major port; since the Royal Navy had re-established control over the Irish Sea by breaking the Siege of Derry, Cannon headed for Aberdeenshire, an area dominated by the Catholic Gordons and an Episcopalian and Royalist stronghold since the 1630s.