Reynolds's guardian sent the details of the case to all the London papers and for many months thereafter Cardigan, his regiment and the commander-in-chief were subject to ridicule, hissing and cat-calls of "black bottle" whenever they appeared in public. A more serious punishment was administered to Richard Reynolds, cousin to John Reynolds and another long-serving captain, who was court-martialled for sending Cardigan an "insubordinate" letter in response to being barred from his commanding officer's quarters. Hill drafted a strong memorandum urging Cardigan to employ "temper and discretion" in dealings with his officers, but Reynolds was cashiered. Not all of the "Indian" officers of the 11th found themselves the object of Cardigan's disfavour: when, in October 1840, Major Jenkins, a long-serving veteran, fell seriously ill, Cardigan attended his bedside for two nights and, when he died, made a substantial payment to the family and, at a personal cost of £400 (), secured a scholarship for his younger son. George Ryan acknowledged his generosity towards his officers and men when in hardship and noted him to be a regular, anonymous subscriber to many civic charities.