A surgical stapling device is described having a tool assembly including ananvilassembly and a staple cartridge having a series of staples which are supportedandconfigured to be rotatably ejected from the staple cartridge into the anvilassembly tosuture tissue. The manner in which the staples are supported and ejected fromwithin thestaple cartridge facilitates the use of a tool assembly of reduced diameterthat includesstaples capable of suturing thicker tissues than would normally be associatedwith toolassemblies with such a reduced diameter. A staple is also described that canbe ejectedfrom the surgical stapling device. In embodiments, the staple includes threelegs ofdifferent lengths. Each of the legs is configured to provide a differentdegree ofcompression when applied to tissue. In addition, each of the staple legs has aD-shapedconfiguration when deformed.
