A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising: a tool assembly having a cartridge assembly including a staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical fasteners therein, and an anvil assembly, at least one of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly being movable in relation to the other of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly; a surgical buttress releasably secured to a tissue contacting surface of at least one of an anvil plate of the anvil assembly and a staple cartridge of the cartridge assembly by an anchor, at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly includes a pair of distal recesses (70e, 82f), the anchor being disposed in the recesses; a release assembly associated with the anvil assembly and disposed between the anvil plate comprising a longitudinal slot and cover plate at a location in operative registration with the distal pair of recesses, and characterised by the release assembly including a guide plate defining an arcuate slot and an anchor bar pivotally connected to the anvil plate including a body portion defining an elongate slot, and a finger extending from an edge thereof, the finger being in operative registration with the distal pair of recesses of the anvil assembly so as to engage the anchor, the release assembly further having an actuation member pivotally connected to anvil plate, the actuation member including an eccentric cam defining a central axis of rotation about which actuation member is permitted to rotate and a boss extending from a surface of eccentric cam in a direction substantially parallel to and offset a radial distance from the central axis of rotation of eccentric cam and slidably and rotatably disposed in the elongate slot of the anchor bar, the actuation member having a release bar extending substantially tangentially from eccentric cam from a side substantially opposite to the boss with a pin in registration with the arcuate slot of the guide plate; and a drive assembly slidably translatable through the tool assembly from a proximal position to a distal position, the drive assembly actuating the release assembly to release the anchor from the slot and to free the surgical buttress from the at least one of the anvil assembly and cartridge assembly. a tool assembly having a cartridge assembly including a staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical fasteners therein, and an anvil assembly, at least one of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly being movable in relation to the other of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly; a surgical buttress releasably secured to a tissue contacting surface of at least one of an anvil plate of the anvil assembly and a staple cartridge of the cartridge assembly by an anchor, at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly includes a pair of distal recesses (70e, 82f), the anchor being disposed in the recesses; a release assembly associated with the anvil assembly and disposed between the anvil plate comprising a longitudinal slot and cover plate at a location in operative registration with the distal pair of recesses, and characterised by the release assembly including a guide plate defining an arcuate slot and an anchor bar pivotally connected to the anvil plate including a body portion defining an elongate slot, and a finger extending from an edge thereof, the finger being in operative registration with the distal pair of recesses of the anvil assembly so as to engage the anchor, the release assembly further having an actuation member pivotally connected to anvil plate, the actuation member including an eccentric cam defining a central axis of rotation about which actuation member is permitted to rotate and a boss extending from a surface of eccentric cam in a direction substantially parallel to and offset a radial distance from the central axis of rotation of eccentric cam and slidably and rotatably disposed in the elongate slot of the anchor bar, the actuation member having a release bar extending substantially tangentially from eccentric cam from a side substantially opposite to the boss with a pin in registration with the arcuate slot of the guide plate; and a drive assembly slidably translatable through the tool assembly from a proximal position to a distal position, the drive assembly actuating the release assembly to release the anchor from the slot and to free the surgical buttress from the at least one of the anvil assembly and cartridge assembly.