[2] His abilities during four years of training attracted notice, and, with the backing of domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza, he was sent to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr.

An assistant to Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers, he remained with the French General Staff until 1864, when he returned home with the rank of captain.

Two of their four children died young; a daughter became lady-in-waiting to Queen Elisabeth, while a son was killed in action during World War I. Alexandrina died in 1870, aged 28; her widower hired Antoine-Augustin Préault to carve the gravestone at Bellu Cemetery.

[6] During his time at the helm, Fălcoianu helped draft legislation on a unified structure for the rails and supervised the 1881 opening of the Buzău-Mărășești line.

[6] As such, he repeatedly spoke of the need to increase the country's defense capabilities, refuting the idea that the fortifications then under construction were useless.

[7] While Fălcoianu was in the army leadership, numerous reforms took place: four army corps were established at Bucharest, Craiova, Galați, and Iași between 1882 and 1884; work began on the fortifications of Bucharest and along the fortified Focșani-Nămoloasa-Galați line; and several high-level administrative posts were created, as well as the inspectors-general.

The general staff was reorganized along the modern, Prussian model, also taking into account lessons learned in the independence war.

In 1891, he was among those who relaunched România Militară magazine, and in subsequent years helped ensure its continued printing.