The National Parks Service online rosters list him as a Private in Company D. This agrees with the William Hadskey report and with what we have learned. Since the drum is clearly marked as belonging to Company E that almost certainly eliminates it belonging to Pvt. Whittom.
He is indeed listed as a drummer though. Our record on our "Gravesites" page provides the following...
Whittom, Thomas B. Pvt.
Company D
Born: 1839 in Alabama
Died: 12/23/1888 in Marion County, Ms.
Buried: Columbia City Cemetery, Columbia, Marion County, Ms.
Thomas Whittom was wounded at Chickamuaga and Atlanta. He survived and was taken Prisoner of War at Nashville and sent to the military prison at Louisville, Kentucky. This was a stop off for prisoners heading north so he may have gone to another P.O.W. camp. After the war he married Harriet Fortenberry on November 4, 1868.
The question of who this drum belonged to is one Ron and I have scratched our head over several times with no conclusion to speak of. However may I leave you with a quote from my great-grandfather's diary dated July 1, 1863. Maybe your Thomas Whittom was playing that day...
At last the yanks were after us. If ever you seen wagons fly it was now. It was now all along the road. was tents, pots, napsacks, blankets, broke down wagons all along the road. I travlled hard all day til dark. At last I heard the drum and heard the band and saw the fire. This revived me.