A surgical fastener cartridge (100) comprising a cartridge body (112) including a tissue contacting surface (120), the tissue contacting surface including a plurality of fastener retention slots (126), a plurality of surgical fasteners (130) operatively disposed in the plurality of fastener retention slots, a plurality of pushers (150) operably associated with the plurality of surgical fasteners, each pusher configured for ejecting an associated surgical fastener towards a depression in an anvil (1014), and an actuation sled (600) housed within the cartridge body, the actuation sled includes a plurality of cam wedges (644), the plurality of cam wedges configured to sequentially contact the plurality of pushers such that a surgical fastener that is ejected closer to a cut line produces a greater compression force to stapled tissue than a surgical fastener ejected further from the cut line, the plurality of surgical fasteners having a backspan (234,334,434,534) and legs (232,332,532), at least some of the backspans being enlarged with respect to the legs.
