I know very little about Col. Reed other than he was involved with the East India Company and had a daughter Helena, who married Richard Richards Ternan. Richard served in the Madras Army of the East India Company and died and was buried in Vellore, India. I suspect (but have no proof) that he served with Reed.
Augustus had an illustrious career. If George Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny is to be believed, Augustus predicted that the company's policies would provoke a revolt, made a concerted effort to reverse the policies beforehand, and, unfortunately, was only able to reverse most of the changes. During the rebellion, Augustus' district and the natives rallied to the British. After the rebellion, Augustus served in the British Army and managed several districts. His highly detailed statistical reports are still used to analyze the demographics and economy of the era.
Augustus had seven children, and the men had military careers. His son and my great grandfather, Trevor Patrick Breffney Ternan, was a Brigadier General, and served in India, Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan, East Africa, and South Africa before retiring (only to rejoin for WWI and serve at the battle of the Somme).
All in all, I'd say the Duke chose wisely.
