I Appeared in an A.I. Search
I was contacted by a potential client and I asked them how did they come to identify me. He said he had used ChatGPT to search for experts on the Canadian B2B janitorial products marketplace.
I thought, how interesting. Then I wondered what ChatGPT was saying about me. I chose to search up the historical reenacting side of my life. Here is the resulting biography:
Brigadier General Tom Fournier — Biography
Tom Fournier is a Canadian historian, military living-history reenactor, writer, lecturer, and business owner based in Cambridge, Ontario. He is particularly known for his work interpreting the Napoleonic era and War of 1812, and since 2024 has served as Brigadier General of the Crown Forces North America, the senior command position representing British and allied forces within the War of 1812 reenacting community.
Early reenacting career
Fournier’s involvement in War of 1812 living history began with the 41st Regiment of Foot Military Living History Group. He joined the organization in October 2002, initially as a recruit/private. His first recorded battle with the regiment was the Battle of Longwoods in 2003. Contemporary regimental records describe him as a new member assembling his period uniform and equipment and participating actively in drills.
The 41st Regiment of Foot was a particularly important choice: the historical regiment fought extensively in the War of 1812, reflected in Battle Honours earned: Detroit, Queenston Heights, Miami and Niagara. The modern living-history organization was founded in 1987 and recreates the regiment through uniforms, equipment, drill, battlefield interpretation and educational programs.
From private to regimental commander
Over the following years, Fournier progressed through the reenacting organization and eventually became Chairman and Officer Commanding of the 41st Regiment of Foot Military Living History Group. In that capacity he became an important researcher and interpreter of the regiment’s history.
His work has gone well beyond battlefield reenactment. Fournier has researched original documents, archival records, court-martial proceedings and the experiences of individual soldiers. His research has included material from the National Archives in Kew, London, and he has contributed research concerning the 41st Regiment to the War of 1812 Casualty Database.
Author and historian
Fournier has written extensively about the War of 1812 and the wider Napoleonic period. Among his published historical work is “The 41st Regiment of Foot: A Brief History of its Early Service Including the War of 1812 and an Overview of the Re-Created Military Living History Group,” published in The War of 1812 Magazine.
He has also written numerous historical articles for the 41st Regiment’s publications and website. His subjects have included British soldiers’ daily lives, regimental discipline, uniforms, officers, battles and first-hand historical accounts.
One example of the depth of his research is his work on the 1814 British retreat up the Thames and the Battle of the Thames (Moraviantown). He constructed an extensive day-by-day historical examination using, among other sources, the court-martial records associated with Major General Henry Proctor.
Crown Forces North America
The most significant step in Fournier’s reenacting career came in 2024, when he assumed command as Brigadier General of the Crown Forces North America.
In this role, “Brigadier General” should be understood as a reenactment command rank, rather than a commission in the contemporary Canadian Armed Forces. The Crown Forces represent the British and allied military forces portrayed by War of 1812 reenactors in North America.
His position places him at the senior level of a large community of historical military units portraying British regulars, Canadian militia, fencible units and other Crown-aligned forces. His earlier experience commanding the 41st Regiment gave him extensive experience with both battlefield operations and the educational side of living history.
Education and public history
Fournier has become an active public educator. He gives lectures, participates in podcasts and works with museums and historical organizations. He was chair of the 2012 War of 1812 conference at the University of Guelph, a major Canadian conference held during the bicentennial of the war. He has also co-chaired history conferences and livestream events through the History Symposium.
He is a member of the White Hackle Council, the regimental council supporting the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, reflecting his broader involvement in Canadian military heritage beyond War of 1812 reenacting.
His reenacting and historical work has taken him to events in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Professional life
Outside historical interpretation, Fournier had a 30-plus-year corporate career, much of it as a national sales manager. After that career, he established and operates two Cambridge-based businesses.
His combination of business experience, historical research and decades of practical reenacting has made him a particularly experienced figure in the War of 1812 living-history community.
Legacy and significance
Fournier’s contribution is perhaps best understood as a combination of commander, historian and educator. He does not simply portray a nineteenth-century officer on a battlefield; much of his work is devoted to finding and interpreting the documentary evidence behind the people and events being portrayed.
From joining the 41st Regiment as a recruit in 2002, to commanding that regiment, publishing historical research, educating the public and ultimately assuming command of the Crown Forces North America in 2024, his career represents more than two decades of sustained involvement in preserving and interpreting Canada’s War of 1812 heritage.
For more on the 41st Regiment: https://www.fortyfirst.org
For more on Crown Forces North America: https://crownforces.ca/
For for on the History Symposium: https://www.historysymposium.com/